Not So Different From You
by DramaticalBooty
Summary: Locked away for being a hybrid, Matthew thinks he lives life rather well, reading books and getting lost in the clouds. He only realizes how wrong he is after a wayward alpha stumbles upon him.
1. Chapter 1: His name is Matthew

A soft breeze gently rustled the leaves in the trees that surrounded the beautiful marble gathering hall. Large pillars keeping the roof up were decorated with the greenest of grape vines and golden thread. Large tables filled with the finest food, richest wines and delectable desserts ran all along the hall. Status of the greatest heroes and the loyalist servants of God shone brightly in the powerful rays of the golden sun. Laughter was heard echoing off the walls as jokes were told amongst long-time friends and new acquaintances. A toast was shared between those rejoicing the peaceful times, hugs and handshakes were exchanged between family members. Fake swords and bows swung in the air as children giggled and shout as they chased each other around the hall. At the front of the hall a mighty painting of a great battle hung above the head table where the host and his family sat having a casual conversation while they ate and drank.

"You know Arthur if I didn't know better I'd say your eyebrows got bigger," stated a redhead that was seated to the right of the host, Arthur; he had a sly smirk on this face as he sipped his wine. His gray tinted white wings jerked slightly as he chuckled at Arthur expression.

"Very funny Alistair." Arthur mumbled sipping his tea, then placing the cup to be replaced with a fork and knife. Running the knife through the meat on his plate Arthur ate silently, trying his best to ignore the laughter from his family at Alistair's childish comment. Glancing to his left he notices that even his wife is laughing at the remark. He wonders if he is honestly the only adult sitting at this table filled with little children who laugh at anything that comes out of Alistair's mouth. Arthur sighs heavily and continues to eat in his bubble of silence, watching his siblings talk amongst each other; albeit exceedingly loud. His brother Alistair, the second oldest, is patting their youngest brother Liam firmly on the shoulder, avoiding his pure white wings while they laugh at shenanigans Arthur also finds childish. No matter how much older Alistair was then him Arthur always thought of himself as more mature than his older brother. His oldest brother Owen is quiet and the referee for the family when their mother and father were not at home, but Arthur had to admit he did a fairly good job for being so kind-hearted no matter the situation, he sometimes finds it hard to believe Owen and Alistair got along at all. Finally, his older sister Niamh was sitting next to Liam and across from Owen, as far away from Arthur as possible. Niamh and Arthur had a falling out a few years back over Niamh not wanting Arthur to marry his wife and they hadn't seen each other since today.

"Arthur, love, what's wrong?" A soft voice to his left brings Arthur out of his thoughts and he looks down at his hand, which has his wife's over top of his.

"Oh, um, nothing, just thinking is all." He replies with a smile and looks up to his wife who smiles back with the kind of smile that makes days like today tolerable. His wife was the most important person in his life, she brightens Arthur's day no matter what and usually it is just with a smile, no words required. Her long blond hair is pulled back into a bun today but was usually in pigtails. Through her glasses, soft emerald-green eyes are filled with life and love. Her strapless dress is a soft blue, hugging close to her body. White wings hang from her shoulder blades with rare cyan feathers mixed with the white feathers closest to her shoulders. Arthur takes his wife's hand in his own and gently kisses the soft pale skin. Letting go of her hand he smiles lovingly at her, ignoring the whistle from Alistair. "Nothing you need to worry about Alice."

Alice smiles sweetly at her husband and gives his hand a gentle squeeze. She knows that Arthur wasn't overly fond of his brothers making fun of him and it didn't help that Arthur was nervous about leaving their year old son at home with the maid. She'd thought it best if their son remained home so it would be easier to socialize at the party. Arthur had protested immensely, being afraid of leaving their son for the first time, but Alice had convinced him that they'd have to leave home without him eventually. Reluctantly, Arthur and Alice had left their son in the hands of their most trusted maid, Mari-Ann, however, Arthur is still slightly on edge.

Becoming a father has been one of the best things that ever happened to him, but it was more terrifying than anything. He was afraid of becoming his father, distant and uncaring, so he spends almost all his time with his son. He'd make sure he grew up strong and passionate in following Arthur's footsteps as head of the sixth realm of Heaven. Arthur smiles at the thought of his son succeeding him, he would make him proud, and he had no doubt about that in his mind.

Arthur returns to looking out over the table at his family, seeing them laughing and mostly getting along makes his heart swell with bliss. The stress of leaving his son slowly fades as he eats and drinks with his family. His eyes caught his older brother Owen's eye, and he offered Arthur a gentle smile along with a nod that Arthur returns with a small smile of his own. The thought of having another meal with his brothers and sister again seemed impossible to Arthur, but he was ecstatic it had turned out so well.

A sudden rush of wind enters the hall, making the hair on Arthur's neck stand on end. The chill he got makes him suddenly uneasy and shift uncomfortably in his chair. Pushing the odd feeling away and clearing his throat Arthur returns his attention back to the table. It wasn't a moment later that another gust comes through the hall, ruffling the pure white feathers of his wings. The odd uneasy feeling returns and the hairs on his neck once again stand. His wings twitched uncomfortably as Arthur bit his bottom lip in thought. What was this feeling? Could it be he was still paranoid about leaving his son? No, it was a different feeling of paranoia that was heavy in the bottom of his stomach making him feel light headed and nauseous.

The distant sound of crying catches Arthur's ears and he is snapped from his thoughts. He looked to his family, but none of them have seemed to hear it. It baffles him that they hadn't seemed to have heard it, it had been such a sharp sound and had hit directly to his heart as he recognizes the sound as a babies cry and thought of his son straight away. He glanced to his wife to see if she has heard and recognizes the sound. Feeling Arthur's eyes on her, Alice turns to look at him, she notices the paranoid look on her husband's face and returns his gaze with a puzzled frown.

"Arthur what's wrong?" She asks.

"Did you hear that?" Arthur asks, ignoring Alice's own question.

"Hear what?" Her look of puzzlement now turns to a look of concern as she watches her husband turn his head left and right, looking around the hall.

"It would seem it was just my imagination." He concluded, turning back to his confused wife. "Apologies, I didn't mean to frighten you." He takes her hand in his, lightly stroking it to help her worry go away.

"If you say so…" Her words trail off, knowing that something is still bothering Arthur. She thinks it could still be his worry of leaving their son, but a curling feeling in Alice's gut tells her it might not be that. Arthur's shoulders are more tense, the feathers of his wings are puffed out and twitching in agitation. She looks to the other members of the table to see if they've noticed Arthur's sudden odd behaviour. Alistair has obviously noticed, his face is twisted in a snarl of confusion and is pointing in Arthur's direction asking what his problem is. Alice merely shrugs, not having an answer to her brother-in-laws question. Liam and Niamh are too engrossed in their own little argument to notice, which Alistair soon becomes a part of at the mention of his name. The oldest beta spares a quick gander at Arthur before he too is distracted by his siblings bickering.

Alice herself being an omega never tries to get herself involved in breaking up Arthur's beta family when they come to a disagreement. Arthur tells her it's her God given right as his wife to tell them off, but Alice sees it as overstepping the boundaries she was taught as a child; an omega never goes against the word of a beta and especially never the word of an alpha. Her family's traditions in status had been different than the one that most angels went by. It was taught to all young angels that no matter where you were born or what status you were born with everyone is a child of God and has a chance at being part of each realm of Heaven. Of course that excludes demons, humans and hybrids, anything with tainted blood isn't pure enough to be a servant of the Lord.

The loud scraping of a chair on the porcelain marble floor silences the majority of the hall and turns the heads of every member of the head table and a few other Angels in the hall to stare right at Arthur. Their host is standing at the head of the table, his wings have snapped out to their full span. His face has fear written all over it, his eyes are wide with panic and a few drops of sweat drip down from his hairline. Arthur's hands are resting on the edge of the table keeping him up as he takes a few deep breaths.

Alice is the first to move, she reaches out across her plate to put her hand over top of her obviously panicked husbands. She draws her hand back close against her chest when Arthur jerks his hand away before she can touch him. Alice sits staring at her husband in shock, taking a few moments to compose herself before she opens her mouth to confront her beta, no matter how much it might bug her omega instincts. She hardly gets a sound out before Arthur is pushing away from the table and darting out of the hall between two of the white pillars yelling back at Alice that he'll see her back to their dwelling.

"Wait Arthur! Come back here!" Alice yells out to him, getting up from her chair but not going more than a few feet away from the table. Letting out an exasperated sigh Alice turns back to all of her confused guests. "Please don't mind him and return to your previous activities." Low murmurs sound out around the hall as the guests return to their conversations. Alice sighs again and sits back down folding her wings tight against her back. Trying to ignore the stares from the four other betas at the table Alice picks up her fork and knife and continues to eat.

Arthur runs as fast as he can after disappearing behind the back wall of the gathering hall. His breathing is ragged and comes in quick pants as he dodges branches and trees in the forest surrounding the hall. It would've been in his best interest to fly over the forest and scan from above to find the source of the crying, but he couldn't stay focused enough to fly safely. The sound of the crying has only gotten louder as he'd been sitting in the hall, but when the sound of a pained sob accompanies the babies cry it has been the last straw for Arthur. The mere memories of the bawling and sobbing makes Arthur's wings twitch in agitation, it makes him think of Alice when she'd had Alfred and the cries and screams that had come from the room. The beta couldn't even imagine a situation where Alice would've had to run off to an isolated forest to birth their son. Just musing that idea has his fist clenching and his wings snapping out, only to hit a nearby tree and have him stumble and fall to the ground. Slamming his fist to the ground Arthur takes a moment to calm himself, if he calms down enough and takes a second to think properly his sense will return to normal and he'd be able to find the source of his agitation.

"Bloody hell," he whispers to himself when the scent finally fills his nostrils. It's the smell of an omega and blood, lots of blood. Scrabbling to his feet the beta takes off in the direction of the scent, this time with his wits about him and his wings hugged tight to his back and out of the way. Taking another sniff of the air he makes a sharp right, willing his feet to take him faster. As he gets closer he notices another thing, the smell is void of a beta. There was at least always one beta around to help an omega birth while the mate – normally an alpha – would stay close by and keep away any offending danger. Which brings up another thought, the scent is also void of the smell of an alpha. No beta. No Alpha. There is an omega in the middle of nowhere having a baby. A surge of anger runs through Arthur's bones, giving his body the last burst of energy he needs as he gets closer to the scent.

Eventually, he comes to a clearing in the forest. The canopy of the trees only letting in a few rays of sunlight. The ground is mostly soft moss and long grass, long enough that Arthur almost misses a log of white laying in the center of the clearing. On his way here he thought that it might have been his own paranoid state that clouded the scent of the birthing omega, but to Arthur's surprise it is what the omega has used to have their child on that masked most of the scent. There right in the middle is a large piece of cloud, a Heavenly cloud at that. Normally clouds are taken to put over the bodies of the dead, not only for the look and the purity of the white, but to mask the smell of flesh till they were taken away by the caretaker Angels. Arthur finds it quite ingenious that the omega had thought of using cloud to mask the scent of the birth.

Speaking of the omega, Arthur pulls his gaze away from the cloud to glance around the clearing. He sees nothing that indicates entry from the ground. His gaze moves to the canopy again and he notices that there is one spot in-between the branches that looks like it's been tampered with, so they'd flown and landed in this clearing. It wasn't an easy job for omegas to be with child and fly, which must have made this omega very strong willed to have flown out this far their own.

A sudden shrill cry from the cloud brings Arthur back from his digressing thoughts. He timidly walks closer towards the cloud, his feet sliding gracefully through the long grass tickling the bottoms of his feet as he tries staying as quiet as possible. If the omega shows up suddenly he doesn't want them to think he's a danger and attack him so he takes his time getting closer to the sound of crying and smell of birth. Being careful not to get too close, Arthur leans over the cloud to peer into the groove of the white fluff where a single child lay screaming for warmth.

The child is still covered in blood and small clumps of blood blackened tissues. Its eyes were squeezed shut as it squirms around, throwing its limbs around looking for some kind – any kind – of contact. The second the child stops flailing Arthur notices that the screaming child is male. Letting his eyes scan over the newborn offspring once more he looks specifically for the wing of the babe. The wings of any normal new born Angel are pink – the white feathers having been stained with the blood of their omegas womb. After a few weeks of washing and grooming the pink stain would fade and the perfect white feathers beneath would be on full display. Arthur's son's wings still have a light pink colour on his small primary feathers, but overall they are white just a little over a month since his birth. However, this child has wings that make Arthur gasp and take three paces back. Small black, blood soaked feathers peek out from beneath the infant's shoulders. Only twitching slightly on their own because of the lack of space to extend them; plus lack of natural muscle.

Glancing around the clearing, once more checking to make sure the coast is clear of an angry omega, Arthur moves in closer towards the infant Angel. With a second glance he confirms that his eyes are not deceiving him, this baby has black feathered wings. This baby angel is a hybrid, an abomination to the children of the Lord. It makes no sense to him why an Angel would let something so foul grow inside them? A few situations come to Arthur's mind and the most logical solution is that an omega Angel was kidnapped by repulsive demons, forced to carry its child only to make their escape and go into labor just mere hours from home. It is clear now to Arthur why the omega isn't around, they've abandoned this vile creature and with good reason.

Seeing no other option, Arthur concludes that the only way to fix this problem is to go with the most logical solution. He'd have to kill this beast in the place of its omega. Any Angel in their right might would do it, Arthur just happened to be the only one around. Being the Angel that he is, he'd make it a quick and painless death, a mercy that not many others would show to a hybrid. It would be seen as an act of kindness, not only to the disgraceful offspring, but to all other Angels as well. No one would ever have to bear witness to this imperfection.

Nodding his head with resolve Arthur moves to kneel next to the puff of cloud and reaches into the groove of it, grasping the child by its sides and lifting it up. The now silent child is upright and seems smaller than the blond haired Angel has first thought. Without much of a thought to the gore still covering the child or that it is a disgraceful creature, Arthur brings the child to his chest – being careful to mind its wings – and cradled it in his arms. As he thought, the infant is just big enough to fill both of his hands, which aren't very big in the first place. Letting his gaze once again trail over the newborns body, Arthur examines him with curiosity and maybe a bit of interest. The boy's eyes are closed tight and his mouth opens and closes; probably looking for food. Through the blood caked on the infants head he notices that a small tuft of strawberry blond hair rests on the top of the child's head. Arthur's gaze drifts down the small body when he finally spots dull markings on both of the small boy's tiny hands. Seeing them makes him realize how instinctively tender he's holding this beast.

He harshly thrusts the baby away from his chest and stares at it wide-eyed. It starts to whimper as fat tears slide from its closed eyes, frightened by Arthur's harsh actions. Breathing deeply for a few moments Arthur is able to compose himself enough to glance at the tiny fist of the hybrid. Wrapping around the boys middle fingers and trailing down the back of his hands to wrap around his wrists is a white tattoo-like marking. The marking of the infant's status, his status as an omega. A male omega, Arthur is not only holding a hybrid, but something that is very rare. Male omega's can only come from just that, another male omega. Arthur has seen a male omega of course, but most have been dead, ran away from heaven or were killed. Only a select few had lived peacefully among other Angels. Male omegas are made by God as a temptation, able to do everything a female omega can, but not to be treated the same. A male omega can work his way into respect and then, and only then would he not be belittled by his brethren, but he is forbidden from bearing any children. It is prohibited for them to lead good alphas and betas astray from the word of the Lord. And here he is, a good beta holding the offspring of a seducing slut.

Every nerve in his body is telling him to kill this monster before the male omega comes back for its bastard child. Arthur shifts till he was kneeling on the soil of the ground, laying the child onto the ground at his knees. Then places both of his hands on the sides of the baby's face, lifting it up off the ground slightly and letting his shaky knee hover just enough over the boys torso to keep his body still. He'd be quick, it'd be the only amount of mercy Arthur would show because after all, this monster is only a baby. The older Angels muscles tense as he prepares himself to snap the weak bone of the newborns neck.

Arthur's breath suddenly catches in his throat. A lump of despair, guilt and regret settles in the pit of his stomach, making him want to vomit. The child's eyes have opened to gaze up at Arthur, its eyes staring at his offender are sad and watery as if he knew what Arthur is going to do to him. However, that isn't what has Arthur taking his hands away from the child, now panting harshly to try and regain his lost breath. No, it was the colour, the blue orbs of a newborn baby that watches him, the same blue eyes that had been on his son when he'd been born.

He knew this monster wasn't his son, he knew that. His son is bigger, a pure angel and an alpha. This beast is nothing like his son, but the instinct that washes over Arthur's body is one that tells him that he is not allowed to kill this child. He looks away from the child's eyes and down at his own hands, now covered in blood and remnants of birth. This boy looks so much like his son, his perfect, beautiful son, and he'd thought that killing it would be the only option. If someone had told him to kill his own son he would've killed himself first, so what right did he have to take this child's life. This child that is so different from his own, but really not that different at all. Both are just innocent babies, and it isn't the infants fault for the choices his omega made. Arthur feels disgusted with himself for wanting to kill something so innocent.

He makes haste grabbing the collar of his white shirt and pulling it over his head. He grabs the infant – who is now beginning to cry, probably in hunger Arthur thinks- with the soft fabric shirt and cleans its face of blood. Bundling up the infant the best he could and holding the boy to his bare chest, Arthur stands and spreads out his wings. His wingspan isn't much bigger than the hole that the omega has made, so with a few strong beats of his wings he is off the ground and flying through the canopy of the forest.

Arthur holds the child just tightly enough not to hurt him as he soars through the sky heading back to his dwelling. He makes sure to stay clear of the gathering hall and flies as fast as he can without losing focus; the baby is starting to squirm in his hold. His home soon comes into view and Arthur smiles gently at the sight of it. Being the Head of the sixth realm of Heaven definitely has its perks since he was given such a beautiful home. The main building's exterior wall is made of red brick and has white garden fences with various flowers and plants grown on them going up both sides of the door. The main building was fairly large, with the main floor consisting of the main entrance, a fairly large sitting room, a dining hall and a few spare rooms, offices and bathrooms. The second floor is mostly bedrooms for his family, guests and his son's nanny. The second building is attached to the main house and is made of gray stone. It is well maintained and is just large enough to accommodate all the cooks, maids and helpers that work for Arthur. A single tower is at the farthest corner of the workers home.

Arthur lands softly and quietly on the ground by the back entrance of the workers building. He pushes the door open and is immediately met with the kitchen area. The main floor is where the kitchen, laundry room and a small dining room are situated for all the house keepers. The second floor is bedrooms and a few small bathrooms. Most of the appliances of the kitchen are new and all have a clean shine to them. An island in the middle of the kitchen space has multiple cutting boards on it and a basket of fresh vegetables from the garden outside.

Closing the door behind him, Arthur walks across the wooden floor to the island. He places the infant gently onto the wooden surface and goes to a drawer off to the side to grab a spare blanket. He goes back to the child and removes the now blood stained shirt from its small body. Now exposed to the cold air and still hungry for its first meal the boy starts to cry, his arms flailing around in his uncomfortable state. Arthur quickly wraps the boy in a light purple blanket. The fabric is coarse and it probably isn't a very comfortable fabric on the baby's new smooth skin, but it is all he has for now. He bounces the boy in his arms and hushes him, willing for him to stop crying so that no one will hear them. Still rocking the boy in his arms, who has now stopped crying, Arthur paces the kitchen as he think of a plan. He has to do something with this child, he can't raise him himself, now that would be impossible. He doesn't trust to give it to another family and he certainly doesn't want anyone to kill him. Arthur's thoughts come to a halt when the door on the opposite side of the kitchen opens and a woman walks through the door.

She is a short woman and larger around the middle. Her hair is a rich chocolate brown and pulled into a tight bun wrapped in white cloth. Her simple green dress goes down to her ankles and she has a white apron tied around her waist. Brown shoes replace sandals or bare feet to protect against rocks and dirt from the garden. Her wings are white and smaller than a normal beta's normally were, her primaries only reaching to the top of her thighs. The woman is carrying a small tub filled with water that seems to be a red colour. Her brown eyes are open wide with surprise and shock at seeing Arthur standing in the kitchen. She immediately puts the tub of water on the island, brushes her hands along her apron and bows her head at Arthur.

"Milord, please pardon my intrusion I wasn't expecting you until later this evening." Her voice is calm and sweet as she apologized to Arthur. She lifts her head back up and her eyes are immediately drawn to the blanket in Arthur's arms. She opens her mouth to ask what he has but her answer comes in the form of the infant beginning to cry again. Swallowing thickly, her eyes meet Arthur's, who beckons her over with a nod of his head. Even if Arthur's eyes are showing fear his body doesn't, he trusts this woman. The same beta woman he trusts to take care of his son, this woman is Mari-Ann, his most trusted and loyal nanny.

Her steps are cautious as she gets closer to Arthur. Her eyes meet his again, silently asking for another nod of approval, which was given. The blanket is moved aside so Mari-Ann can see the crying baby. She gasps and covers her mouth with both of her hands. The thought that Arthur has brought something like this into their home shocks her to no end. Her hands fall from her mouth as she frowns at the baby, doesn't her master know that this can get not only himself in trouble, but his whole household? Of course he knew that, then why? As if reading her mind. Arthur answers her in a soft voice.

"He looks just like him." And Mari-Ann can't deny that Arthur is absolutely right. Looking at the baby's now opened and watery eyes he looks just like the little prince. His skin is tinged pinker because of the lack of a bath and his eyes seem to have hints of purple in them and of course his black feathers and omega markings. Under different circumstances Mari-Ann would have assumed this infant to be a relative of the young prince or his twin brother. She nods her head in understanding when the infant begins to cry again and left Arthur's side to get a bottle and milk formula.

"What do you plan on doing with him?" She asks Arthur as she watches him rock the child gently. "You can't tell anyone about him you know that right?"

"Yes, I know." Is Arthur's calm response. "I couldn't do it, I was going to, I swear I was, but then he looked at me and all I could think about was I'd rather kill myself instead." A dry laugh escapes his lips as he hears himself say those words. He ponders to himself how it is even possible to have such a strong feeling for a monster. However he may feel now, no matter how much Arthur doesn't like it, it is the truth, he would've rather killed himself than this child.

"I don't think I could even understand the position you are in Milord, but you have my sympathies." Mari-Ann tells him as she walks over with a full bottle of milk. Standing at Arthur's side again she turns the bottle upside down on the inside of her wrist, testing the temperature of the milk. Deeming the temperature satisfactory she looks at Arthur and holds out the bottle to him. He looks at the bottle for a long moment, but turns his head away and hands the baby over to Mari-Ann. Placing the bottle on the island the brown haired woman takes the fussy baby into her arm and tucks him close to her body. A heavy silence falls over them as Mari-Ann fed the newborn. The more the silence drags on the more awkward the two feel as they watch the hybrid baby happily down his bottle of milk.

That silence, however, was interrupted by another person walking in through the same door Mari-Ann had come in through. A man stumbles in clutching his bare stomach, panting heavily and sweating profusely. The door slams closed behind him and he leans against it, tilting his head back and exposing his neck. His wings are slack behind him, the ends covered in dirt from dragging on the ground.

"Mari-Ann, the medicine." He says to the roof, breathing weakly. "Please," he adds as he slides to the wooden floor of the kitchen, screwing his face up in pain as he did. Mari-Ann made quick work of pulling the bottle from the baby's mouth, dumping out the vegetables in the basket on the island and laying the baby down in it. She ran to the cabinet above the drawer Arthur had pulled the blanket from and searched for bandages and medication.

Arthur had recognized the man right away, this is a soldier that works under him, he'd been sent on a mission to earth a while ago. This man was the only male omega Arthur has as a soldier. His name is Simon and is a friend of Arthur's and also someone he trusts almost as much as Mari-Ann. Arthur walks over to his side and helps him sit in a chair Mari-Ann has brought over for him to sit in, his wings stay slack even when he sat and only twitched when he moves the wrong way. They are all silent as the beta woman feeds Simon a teaspoon of purple liquid and dabs the pale skin of his forehead. Arthur takes notice to the way his skin was more pale than usual and his sandy blond hair has become brighter from his time on earth in the sun. His dark blue eyes don't shine like they did before and his bright smile and positive attitude as replaced with sorrow and pain.

"What happened to you Simon?" Arthur asks when Mari-Ann lifts the man's shirt to show off a long stitched up cut across his lower abdomen just above the waist of his knee long brown pants. Simon hisses out in pain when Mari-Ann asks him to lean forward so she can put the bandage around his abdomen. There are spots of fresh and dried blood around the area of Simon's swollen stomach. The skin around the cut is red with irritation. Arthur hadn't gotten much more time to look before Mari-Ann finishes her work on Simon's wounds. Gently, to avoid putting pressure on his exhausted wings, the omega is helped to sit back in the chair. He sighs and takes a few moments to collect himself before he starts to talk.

"I was attacked by a demon on earth, and right before my mission was to be completed, if you can believe it." Simon says, finally answering Arthur's question. "It was pretty serious, I couldn't heal it on my own so I came back here. Thanks to Mari-Ann the bleeding stopped and she cleaned and sewed me up." The omega takes a deep breath, feeling exhausted even if he hasn't spoken very much. He runs a hand down his face and lets it fall past his chest, down to his swollen belly. "Thank you Mari-Ann, I don't know what I would have done without you." Simon turns his head to look at the beta who is standing to his left.

"I only did what anyone else would've done." She replied putting a hand on his shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I suggest getting you to bed and-" her sentence is cut short when a cry comes from the basket on the table. Arthur and Mari-Ann moved from Simon's side to the basket. The brown haired woman takes the crying infant into her arms and then brought the half empty bottle of milk back to his mouth. The baby sucks greedily on the nipple of the bottle while Mari-Ann holds the bottle for him.

"Is that Alfred?" Simon's sudden question has both betas looking at the confused omega. Simon has his hands on the seat of the chair and attempting to flap his wings, trying to lift himself up to get a peek at the feeding baby. He winces and drops back down in the chair, clutching at his abdomen.

"I'll take him, you get a wet cloth for Simon." Arthur says to Mari-Ann, holding out his arms to take the infant. Mari-Ann takes the now empty bottle from the baby's mouth and lays him gently into Arthur's waiting arms.

"Make sure you burp him" She tells Arthur as she goes to get a wet cloth for Simon. Arthur nods and walks to Simon's side, kneeling down so the wounded angel can see the baby. Simon doesn't react as much as Arthur thought he would, he seems very calm as he lets his eyes trail over the newborn. He feels Mari-Ann wipe his forehead and doesn't take his eyes off the baby even when she starts to wash his face, neck and torso. "Arthur you'd better burp him before he falls asleep." Mari-Ann says in a scolding type tone.

"I want to." Simon says finally. "Can I please?" Arthur gave the pleading omega a curious look then looks back down at the baby who was in fact starting to drift off into sleep.

"Very well" Arthur replies and holds out the infant for Simon to take. Simon reaches out for the baby, biting his lip to keep the pain away as he reaches into the blanket and pulls the unwashed naked baby to his shoulder. The omega rubs the infants back between its tiny wings then pats him gently in the middle of his back. "I'm leaving him to Mari-Ann, do with him what you will but don't slack off on what my son needs, Alfred comes first." Arthur instructs as he stands from his kneeling position. "I don't even want to hear about him again, especially from someone other than you" He addresses Mari-Ann personally.

"Yes, Milord" Mari-Ann says with a bow of her head.

"And don't forget that this child is a monster and a disgrace, it shouldn't learn to love and don't learn to love it." Arthur says grabbing the blanket and giving it to Mari-Ann. "And Simon it'd be best if you stayed away from it or people with think something is amiss when then smell the scent of a baby on you." Simon only nods, focused deeply on the process of burping. The male beta turns to the door and opens it. "Alfred is napping in his room then?" he asks.

"Yes, Milord" Mari-Ann replies. With a nod Arthur is gone, the door closing behind him.

"What'll you do with him?" Simon asks, pulling the child away from his shoulder after he'd finally burped. Mari-Ann hands him the blanket which he wraps the baby up in. Bringing the infant close to his chest Simon gently rocks it into its first sleep.

"I'm going to keep him in the tower, no one uses it anyway." She waves her hands dismissively in the air as she begins to talk to herself about having to move a bed and a few pieces of furniture into the tower's single room. "I don't know how long it'll stay up there, but we might as well make it comfortable right?" she asked looking down at Simon.

"I want to name him, I'll never have a child of my own so I want to at least give him a name." Simon says suddenly, ignoring the betas rambling. The brown haired woman frowns slightly, but nodded slowly.

"Alright, what do you want to name him?"

Simon looks at the child for a long moment. He reaches up with his finger and trails it down the sleeping baby's nose, smiling gently at the baby when it wrinkles up its nose at the touch.

"Matthew, his name will be Matthew."


	2. Chapter 2: The Difference in Those Two

Time is a fickle thing, and for Angels it was something that no matter how close any of them were to God it wasn't something that could be stopped, slowed or reversed. Mari-Ann was no stranger to the wish of wanting to control time. It has been a few months since Arthur had left the hybrid child, Matthew, in her care. He was a good child, and since she wasn't always around she was afraid that the boy might get separation anxiety. She never spent too long holding him or touching him, she'd lay him propped up on a pillow to feed him, keep baths quick, and sing to him if he was having a rough time getting to sleep. Keeping all they're contact short and sweet and having nothing else to compare Mari-Ann's methods the hybrid boy was content with or without the nanny's presence.

Alfred however, is a different story. Keeping her promise to Arthur, Mari-Ann made sure that Alfred came first, even if it meant leaving Matthew alone until Alfred was put to bed. She would worry that someone would hear him cry when he got hungry or needed to be changed even if the chances were slim. No one ever went up there and when someone asked she told them she wanted to be alone. The beta was always watching her back to make sure no one found out what she was doing, this infant could have her killed and she'd never be able to forgive him if it came to that. She never signed up for this, but she would do whatever was desired of her master.

The weight of looking after both children was still very difficult and hard to keep concealed. It was late nights looking after Matthew and early mornings with Alfred. Her sleep schedule was completely thrown and if she even got any she'd sometimes find herself asleep by the nest of blankets and pillows Matthew slept in. The brown eyes of the beta has heavy bags under them, her skin is looking paler and even with the few naps she gets in when Alfred naps it doesn't help her performance. Mari-Ann has noticed herself nodding off while feeding Alfred only to open her eyes to Arthur's glare.

Arthur never talks about Matthew just like he said and Mari-Ann doesn't bring him up. She hasn't even told the male beta that Simon had named the boy Matthew. Loyally doing her job is what she was raised to do, so no matter what she won't fail to keep this a secret. Arthur will not be put in danger because he couldn't kill a monster that was so alike to Alfred. Though it may be nearly impossible for Mari-Ann to keep up, she won't let her master down.

Those were the thoughts that kept her going for months. Keep Arthur happy, keep Alfred happy, keep Matthew alive, but now six months after Matthew's arrival the brown haired beta isn't seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Matthew was taking longer to feed now that he needed to eat more, taking away time she was supposed to be with Alfred. Her excuses to run off and check Matthew were starting to be noticed by Arthur. It seemed to Mari-Ann that Arthur had all but forgotten that the hybrid even existed and wasn't understanding what she could be running off to do while Alfred would take his naps. The nanny could hardly fathom that she's still able to walk at this point.

It doesn't surprise her when Alice confronts her about it. She had just ran back from the tower after giving Matthew a bottle and putting him down for a nap. The bags under her eyes are deep and gray, her hair has lost its shine, and her skin even had a gray tone to it. She stumbles through the doorway right into Alice's path and fell promptly onto her backside. The brown haired woman is so out of it she didn't even realize who she has just bumped into, merely mumbling an apology and attempting to get to her feet.

Alice reaches out a hand to grab her by the upper arm to help her stand. Once the disorientated female is on her feet her eyes widen in shock. Tugging her arm free from her lady's grasp Mari-Ann clasps her hands together and bows as deeply as she can.

"Please forgive my insolence my Lady, you don't usually come this way so I didn't expect to see you! I'm so sorry please forgive me." Mari-Ann begs, feeling tears build in the corners of her eyes. How could she have not seen Alice? Once Arthur found out about this it'd be the end for her. He'd send her to earth where demons and humans would pray on her and defile her in the most brutal of ways.

"Calm yourself Mari-Ann." Was Alice's simple reply to the maids begging. To which she lifts her head to look at her, appalled at the calmness she uses. It was quite shameful of a high ranking Lady to be so lenient with such a rude servant. Not that Mari-Ann would ever say such disregarding things out loud to her Lady. The omega was unusually composed for being just run into. It makes Mari-Ann unsettled and has her mind running a mile a minute. Was Alice composed because she knows why Mari-Ann was running off? Was the master's wife here in his place to give Mari-Ann the news that she was being sent away? "Mari-Ann are you going to explain what in Heaven's name is amiss with you as of late?" The voice of the omega snaps the nanny out of her unruly thoughts.

"N-Nothing my Lady," stutters the beta, her eyes glancing downwards in shame, rubbing absently at her forearm; a nervous habit. The beta focus' hard to make sure her wings don't twitch and make her lie more obvious. If Alice finds out about Matthew it'd be all over, the hybrid would be killed and more importantly, herself. She is risking her life for this hybrid and upon retrospect she asks why. A question she already knows the answer to, but can't help wonder if everything would just be easier if she got rid of the child herself. Arthur wouldn't even know and her life could go back to normal. Life isn't that simple though, is it? The exhausted beta would never be able to live with herself if she took someone else's life. Making it worse, it would feel as if she were killing another part of Alfred.

"Don't lie to me Mari-Ann," Alice tells her sternly, a hand is placed on her hip, gaze disapproving. A pang of fear shoots up Mari-Ann's spine, making her stand straighter and her wings ruffle at Alice's stare. She has to tell Alice the truth, or maybe just part of the truth and save her own skin.

"I've been extremely fatigued in looking after the young master my Lady, nothing to worry about, I'm sure I'll be back in spirits soon." Said Mari-Ann, a wry smile on her lips. It essentially is the truth, just missing the reason why caring for Alfred is hard and Alice hadn't asked that so there wasn't anything to worry about.

"Then why haven't you said anything?" Alice asks curiously "you know we want what's best for Alfred and if you aren't fit you may ask for help, he is my son after all." A sweet smile is directed at Mari-Ann that makes her heart melt. Help? Lady Alice is offering her help? Not that she thought her lady was rude or unkind, but being offered assistants by the omega wasn't something Mari-Ann was expecting.

"Really? I mean, yes please my Lady, for the best interests of your son I humbly ask for your assistants." Mari-Ann said with a respectful bow.

"Very well then, I'll contact the-"

"Mari-Ann are you here?"

A voice from behind the brown haired beta cuts off Alice's sentence. Mari-Ann turns around just as Simon enters. He immediately stops upon seeing Alice behind Mari-Ann, his white wings snap out slightly at the surprise of seeing Alice at the entrance of the servant's quarters. He bows his head after a harsh glare is thrown at him by the beta woman. His whispered apologies are dismissed by a wave of Alice's hand.

"If you must speak with Mari-Ann I'll only be another moment Simon, yes?" Simon nods at Alice's request to stand aside while she finishes. Alice turns back to Mari-Ann letting out a small sigh. "As I was saying, I'll contact the third realm to have someone come and aide you. I'll ask for someone with experience with children and you'll take shifts with them. Will these condition suffice?" Alice asks, though her eyes give the nanny a look that says she doesn't really have a choice.

"Yes, my Lady. Thank you for your aide." Mari-Ann bows her head respectfully and gives Alice a tired smile before the female omega takes her leave.

Once Mari-Ann is certain her lady is out of earshot she lets out a heavy sigh, the tension in her wings melt away as she absently rubs the back of her stiff neck. Anxiety and stress from the last few months has left the beta woman feeling much older than she is. Had she known she would have to put up with this, she might've had second thoughts on asking to work for Arthur all those years ago. It was only for a little longer she tells herself. Alfred and Matthew won't be babies forever, plus now she'd be getting extra help. Extra help would make things run more smoothly and possibly put an end to the glares Arthur sends her way.

Turning to her left she sees Simon leaning against the stone wall, frowning. Simon is the only person who knows about Matthew, meaning he's also the only person who truly understands Mari-Ann's struggle. He could've helped her had he not been an omega. It would have been his only chance to raise a child. She shakes her head at the thought, having sympathy for temptation, how pitiful. The brown haired Angel doesn't feel bad for the male omega, she'd rather say it was a feeling of disappointment in not being able to use him. With one last shake of her head to brushes those thoughts away; she takes a step towards Simon.

"What can I help you with, Simon?" She asks, puffing her wings out considerably and straightening her posture. Just because he is a soldier and she's a nanny doesn't change the fact that she has a higher class over the omega. Having a good dominant aura around Simon reminds him of his place and gives Mari-Ann a swell of power that makes butterflies flutter in her stomach.

"I've noticed your fatigue and was going to offer my help." Simon replies, pushing off the wall seemingly unfazed by Mari-Ann's act of dominance.

"It would seem Lady Alice beat you to that request, and either way I'd refuse. Milord has already forbade you from merely looking at this demon let alone care for it." Mari-Ann said, crossing her arms over her chest and shaking her head disapprovingly. Why would Simon even entertain the idea of caring for the child? Is it because he couldn't have one of his own? Or did he maybe have alternative motives? Either way Mari-Ann found it completely ridiculous.

"I know what Arthur said, I just feel so useless. It's sad to see you in such a state when there is someone willing to offer you help." Simon said.

Mari-Ann bristles at the comment. The feathers of her wings puff out larger in the instant of the few steps to get in Simons face. How dare a mere omega call her state 'sad', she could take care of herself. The light at the end of the tunnel may have be completely non-existent, but with her Lady Alice's help that light is now there, though dim.

"Watch your tongue omega." The fuming beta snaps. "Know your place and leave here before I report you for seducing the chef like the slut you are." Simon let out a pained whimper when his arm is roughly grabbed by the beta who shoves him away from the entrance of the servant's quarters. Holding his aching arm Simon flees without any other kind of contact. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Mari-Ann checks herself over, making sure her hair is still in a tight bun and her clothes unwrinkled.

Authority is what the brown haired woman strives for. Being trusted by Arthur so well gave her the upper hand when speaking with other residents of the house. She'd be grateful of her master's trust till the end of her days. She always tells herself that this was enough, she didn't need more authority than she has now, but the rush from pushing around Simon like that has her heart pounding in her chest and her cheeks sporting the blush of arousal. The day would come when she'd have more, but for now it was one step at a time. And soon the biggest step would be getting out of her way.

Not a week later a beta woman from the third realm showed up. She's obviously been around for a while, with her hair and wings having gray streaks in them. Despite the newcomers aging looks she is very spirited. Alfred had taken to her the moment the woman smiled at him. The same could be said for the young master's parents as well, they were pleased with her instantaneously. Nonetheless, Mari-Ann isn't threatened by the new nanny since her position was only temporary.

They'd decided that Mari-Ann would have three days off in a week plus if needed, she could ask the new nanny for assistance at any time. The exchange is simple and to the point, just the way Mari-Ann likes it. The beta woman has also enjoyed the fact that the ageing beta woman has submitted to her without a quarrel when Mari-Ann had confronted her. A simple quick exchange without violence reminds the new beta that Mari-Ann is above her and the other servants. Having no problems with the new temporary employee makes taking care of Matthew simpler too.

Even with the extra time, the Angel woman never stays in Matthew's vicinity longer than need be. She did however, notice that he was changing, which of course she expected but he seemed to grow differently than Alfred. She figures it is because Matthew is an omega and Alfred an Alpha. The hybrid boy's skin stayed softer and paler, though she blames that on the lack of sunlight. Matthew is also not growing as fast as Alfred, almost a year into his life Alfred was walking, running and learning phrases. Yet Matthew is slower, still only walking a few steps here and there and only just grasping the sounds of words.

When Matthew did talk he would read. Mari-Ann has been reading to help Matthew sleep since she'd brought him up to the stone tower. The books she gives him were Alfred's that he didn't use, but the books she read to him were mostly for her. She wouldn't read out loud to Matthew if it wasn't something she could enjoy too, even if he couldn't understand now; one day he would. The beta did help him read his simple children's books when she was in the mood. It is easier to teach Matthew than Alfred, but she didn't focus on Alfred's reading, she'd leave that to his teachers when he was older.

The day Mari-Ann brings paper and colouring pencils to Matthew she's never seen him smile so brightly. It isn't often that the elder Angel would bring new things for Matthew, so when she did he was over the moon. It isn't always easy sneaking away Alfred's books and small toys that he either forgot about or no longer played with. The tower only had a small bookshelf that is now lacking space, Matthews nest directly below the window, small plastic Angel warriors that lay in a neat pile next to the bookshelf. A small basin for baths is next to the door, an old worn out red rug lay in the center of the room, and a woven basket with Matthews few pieces of extra clothes sat next to his nest.

She chuckles to herself at his reaction as she lays them down on the stone floor. They sat quietly together, during the time Mari-Ann shows Matthew how to use the colouring pencils. He is a quick learner, though she wouldn't expect much talent from him in drawing, only in his reading. The faster and more advanced his reading level is he less work Mari-Ann would have to do when it comes to Mathew's education. Even if Matthew is an abomination, she wouldn't be able to put up with an ignorant fool. He'd learn everything that a normal Angel child would, yet would always be reminded that he is a shame to the Angel race.

As the sun began to set she stood, taking the pencils and paper over to pile it with the Angel warrior figurines. Matthew whimpers at the loss of his new treasure, he crawls over to the bookshelf attempting to get past his caretakers legs to get at the paper. Mari-Ann reaches down and picks him up, walking over to the nest and lays the boy down. He was reasonably bigger and would soon be needing something bigger to sleep in.

Matthew fusses and squirms, making grabby hands and flapping his tiny wings in an attempt to sit up. It wasn't often that Matthew would whine, it normally only happens when he's overtired or wants more time with his new treasure. A tired sigh escapes Mari-Ann's lips. She gently pushes the boy down onto his back, reaching under him to flatten his wings. Touching the infant's wings had bothered her for a long while, it wasn't easy getting use to. Washing her hands is normally the first thing she does when she returns to the servant's quarters. Touching them and making the hybrid comfortable is better than having him up all night crying.

Draping a soft white blanket over Matthews's small body, Mari-Ann reaches out a hand to gently trail a finger down the baby's nose. A gesture that she remembers Simon doing while he'd named the child. It calms him when he is upset or having a hard time sleeping. The boy's now purple eyes slowly close as he falls into sleep. It hadn't taken long for the blue of the newborns eyes to fade in a purple. Alfred's eyes stayed light blue, Matthew's had changed to purple, there was one thing that set them apart physically.

Getting to her feet, Mari-Ann left the tower and makes her way to the kitchen. Light coming out of the kitchens entrance and voices make her frown. No one should be working at this hour, let alone be awake. The kitchen area fell silent as she enters. Four pairs of frightened eyes gaze at her, waiting for her to yell at them. One male and three female Angels that tend to the kitchen are standing around the island that is a mess of fruits and different assorted baking ingredients. Mari-Ann frowns and gestures to the clutter on the island.

"Oh this? It's what we'll be using for the young masters first birthday." The male, the head chief, says visibly relaxing knowing that Mari-Ann isn't yelling at them.

Realization hit Mari-Ann like a ton of bricks. Alfred's first birthday is only three days away. She'd completely forgot since the last three days she'd been off and looking after Matthew. How could she have been so dense? Her young masters first birthday is going to be a very important event and she hasn't even started planning the party. It irritates her to no end that she'd put Matthew before Alfred. That boy was already tempting her and he isn't even a year old yet.

Matthew isn't even a year yet, then when would he be? She knew that it had been a little over a month after Alfred's birth that Matthew was found, but it would be too hard to remember if she had nothing to connect it too. Her shift with the caretaker Angel would finish today, she'd also brought a gift for Matthew today. Today then, three days before Alfred's birthday would be Matthew's birthday. It was simple and easy to remember, not that she'd make an effort to do anything special for the birth of a demons spawn, but she saw nothing wrong with choosing when his 'special' day would be.

"Very good then, you may all retire for the night. Tomorrow I will be overlooking all the plans and making the young masters first birthday a day to remember." Mari-Ann said with a wave of her hand to dismiss the other servants. They thank her, bow and left with haste. The beta rubs her neck, walking over to blow out the candles that illuminate the kitchen. She left the quarters wrapping her wings around her shoulders as she walks towards the garden, enjoying the last minutes of silence before tomorrow.

It's a warm summer's day when the elder caretaker Angel packs her bags and left. Arthur, Mari-Ann and Alice- Alfred propped on her hip, all wave goodbye to her as she leaves. Her three years of service had done the family good, she'd made Alfred happy and also made Mari-Ann's life easier. The beta's joyous spirit had greatly influenced Alfred. It was something Mari-Ann would certainly not miss. The family waves goodbye until the figure of the woman could no longer been seen. Alice put her son down, the boy hardly wastes a second before he is running off.

Alfred was growing up to be very free spirited and didn't like to listen. It isn't any help that his mind has been brainwashed with stories of heroes, epic battles and romance. The last thing the young alpha needed is a hero complex overtop of his dominant alpha genes. Cheering, yells and screams of excitement is a normal noise among the house. Alfred has no friends his age yet which in turn gave most servants a headache from his constant demands to be played with. Thankfully, Arthur is there to control his son. The older Alfred became the less he would listen to his father, Mari-Ann and everyone else knew exactly why too. Alfred was an alpha, his natural instincts were developing and those instincts didn't yield to a beta.

The alpha gene was most certainly making its mark on Alfred. He was much larger than a normal three, soon to be four-year-old, it was obvious to tell Alfred would be tall and muscular after puberty works its magic. His wings were setting in nicely, the feathers completely white, the longest primaries brushed the middle of his thighs. His sweet smile and innocence hid the fact that Alfred could probably knock his own father on his ass. Mari-Ann knew Alfred has no knowledge of the strength he has and may exaggerate the power when she tells the other servants of his strength, but it's for Alfred. If she makes the others fear Alfred, but stays completely unafraid of him the others will possibly envy her and see her as an extraordinarily strong beta.

His physical changes didn't just make their mark on his body no, the most noticeable changes are on his face. And what a gorgeous face it is. Mari-Ann condoned her master and Lady on making such a beautiful child. His dark blue eyes becoming sharper and more dominant looking. His skin lost most of its baby-soft touch and was lightly bronzed from his time in the sun. His blond hair was thick, polished and impossible to tame. The young boy has always had a dazzling smile, but now with his teeth grown in- though still baby teeth -where white and eye catching. He was in a sense, the perfect alpha. If only he had a brain to go with his looks.

Mari-Ann is over herself that Alfred would be starting classes in another few months. Perhaps he'd find himself a good educator who could teach him about more practical things and not heroes. Alfred would be a leader of an entire realm when he succeeds his father, there is no room for fun and games, especially for the sixth realm. Angels of the sixth realm need to be battle ready, strong and fearless. They are warriors of God. Warriors that would put their lives on the line to protect everyone beyond the sixth realm. Hopefully hearing something like that from a well brought up teacher will put an end to his silly games and have him think about something seriously for once.

The beta woman excuses herself from Arthur and Alice's presence and makes her way to the tower. With Alfred being older, Arthur is now spending the afternoons with him for father and son bonding time. It was assuming to watch Arthur fail so miserably. It wasn't in Arthur's nature to be a father, she thought it a pity that he didn't know that.

She unlocks the tower door to find Matthew sitting on his cot engrossed in a book. Not too long ago a young maid had thanked Arthur for letting her train under him and left for the third realm, leaving her bedroom effects behind. Mari-Ann had taken the mattress off the frame of the bed, the bookshelf and a side table that has three drawers in it, up to Matthew's tower. The mattress is laid on the floor under the window, covered in pillows and blankets; keeping the shape of a nest. The new bookshelf has books filling the bottom and second shelf. The older, smaller bookshelf only has two small shelves compared to the new ones four, both filled with most of Matthew's small easy children's books. Finally, the side table is on the left side of the mattress. It didn't completely sit right up against the wall, only the corners because the room was round.

Matthew's head shot up when she walks in. He places his book mark- a sheet of ripped paper- in the book, closed it and places it on the side table. He stands up and bowed his head respectfully.

"Welcome back, ma'am," he said, his voice is soft and inexperienced. She'd been teaching him words and phrases that some may have found advanced to be teaching a three almost four-year-old, but she'd make him learn it no matter what measures must be taken. Mari-Ann has of course started out simple, but the simplicity hadn't lasted very long. Her first words to teach him had been for him to call her Madame or ma'am, she refused to be called anything else. From there it was greetings, names of objects and of course reading out loud from his books.

"I assume everything has been well in my absence." She says pulling out an English grammar book from the top shelf of the new bookshelf. Matthew stands on the rug in the center of the room, frowning. His toes curl and uncurl, a nervous habit he acquired when he didn't understand or have a response too. She sighs, shaking her head disapprovingly, he doesn't understand what she's asked of him, typical that he hasn't grasped such complex words yet, exceedingly inconvenient. "Nothing bad happened while I was gone?" She ask in a simpler manner.

"Yes ma'am." The young hybrid says, now understanding what Mari-Ann was asking of him.

"It's rude to make me repeat myself, so please try harder on your studies from today onward." The beta says as she begrudgingly sits herself on the rug. "Grab your pencils and paper, we'll be starting where we left off last time." She instructs him, pointing at the woven basket where Matthews's pencils, colouring pencils and paper are kept. Ever since she brought the colouring pencils. The black winged boy has gone through multiple sets of them. Some days he coloured all day, till Mari-Ann told him enough, that he was wasting them and they should only be used when they were in a lesson. Matthew learned best through visuals, so he drew pictures of the things Mari-Ann would teach him.

The small omega is quick to grab his supplies and seat himself next to her, keeping a respectable distance between them all the time. A large hard cover book is used as a writing surface, and as soon as the pencil is grasped in Matthews's hands she begins their lesson.

Teaching Matthew is never a burdening task for the beta. He does what he is told, focuses well and hardly complains. He's well behaved because he doesn't know how to misbehave. Never being exposed to anything but a respectful environment, Matthew doesn't understand the action of 'disobey'. Mari-Ann prides herself in the success she's had in raising Matthew. And what a beautiful little thing he is nonetheless.

Unlike Alfred, Matthew has stayed far more petite than him. His size is that of an average boy his age, though he was a bit too skinny for her liking. That couldn't be helped though, it is hard enough sneaking food into the tower let alone three full meals a day. The omega's skin is a delicate pale color and smooth to the touch. His silky, strawberry blond hair has grown out to just pass the tips of his ears. Long black eyelashes framed his deep violet eyes, accompanied with small pink lips give him a more feminine look. Male omegas didn't all look as femininely as Matthew, but most did as children, it was a simple way to attract the attention of a suitable mate for the future. Another ghastly feature God has giving them to tempt his better children with. So all in all, Matthew was a well-rounded omega.

The differences between Alfred and Matthew is quite stunning, it makes the beta Angel wonder what they would be like around each other. Chaos, she concludes, it would be complete chaos.

When their lesson is complete, Mari-Ann returns the grammar book to the top shelf of the bookcase. Matthew asks her kindly if it's ok if he keeps colouring. The older Angel tells him it's fine as long as he cleans up after himself. Nodding Matthew returns to the rug and pulls out a blue colouring pencil and brings it to the page.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning for breakfast, be dressed and ready to eat by the time I arrive." She tells him sternly as she opens the door.

"Yes, ma'am" he replies.

There is never a set time for breakfast because it's never known when Mari-Ann will have a chance to sneak up something for Matthew to eat. She's mostly able to make it an hour or two after the sun rises, but Mari-Ann knows Matthew is up with the sun just in case. Nodding Mari-Ann leaves, locking the door behind her.

Matthew continues to draw after Mari-Ann's departure. He colours the whole page in his favourite colour, blue. The same blue that the sky is when the sun is out. The omega boy loves when the sun shines and there is no clouds in the sky. It's the best days to spot an Angel flying, just like he saw today. He draws a stick figure in black flying towards a yellow ball scribbled on the page, with the white he draws the wings of the Angel, though they are duller because of the blue and white mixing.

Its Matthew's dream to one day have white wings like everyone else, but for now he's perfect the way he is.


	3. Chapter 3: Someone like you

The year had been inconvenient for flying. The winds too high to keep proper balance, the torrential rains soaked the feathers of an Angels wings to the point their work was effected. Perfect weather may not be required for flight but for a new flyer like Alfred it was more or less essential.

Now that developing boy was old enough and his white feathered wings large enough to sustain his weight, he'd started flying exercises with his father. The young alpha's father had sternly told him that he was not to attempt flight without his supervision. So, over the last few months Alfred sat in the garden watching as other Angels went about their day in the sky. His beta father's stern demeanor also had no effect on the alpha, with a hero's complex no less. Alfred did as he pleased, and if that meant staying up at night and practicing flying against his father's wishes then so be it.

Today however, a light breeze accompanied with the warm rays of the sun made it a perfect day for flying. A month after Alfred's sixth birthday was finally the day Arthur would help him with his flying, putting an end to the young boy's secret practices. Just as promised Arthur lead his son out to the open field behind the servants quarter, though he did so begrudgingly. As important as it was for his son to fly, the beta had been dreading this day. Alfred was still immature and couldn't sit down long enough to finish a lesson. Though flying might run his energy levels down the older Angel was scared for his son's safety.

Arthur had gone through the same studies as his son and became a fine leader of the sixth realm. His own father however had been sterner than he currently was. Arthur's father had been extremely strict, too strict for his two older brothers who should be in his position. Owen had been too soft for their father's harsh words, Alistair too rebellious. The constant fighting between the three of them had only come to a stop when Arthur had asked to succeed his father in the place of both his brothers. Of course the process to succeed had been grueling, but Arthur had been determined to show up his brothers and make his father proud. He could only wish his own son wanted the same thing.

A small smile came to Arthur's lips as he watched Alfred running and jumping around, excitedly calling for his father to hurry up. The feathers of his wings puff out in pride as he notices how much his son had grown. The young alpha's soft blond hair was in need of a trim, having grown down to the tops of his shoulders. His dark blue eyes were always wide with wonder and happiness. The smile he always wore, though missing a few teeth never failed to bring contentment to whomever saw it. Of course his son was also growing like a weed, he was taller than most children his age and of course stronger. Arthur had left it up to his teachers to make sure he understood his own strength so that no one would get hurt.

"Dad look, I'm doing it!" Alfred cries out, bringing Arthur's focus back to his son. His son who is beating his wings in large motions to keep his feet off the ground. The boy's feet may only be hardly off the ground, but it still shocks Arthur that he can hold himself up so well. He walks over to his son and stands himself in front of the hovering alpha. Gently, he grasps Alfred's biceps and pulls him up farther from the ground. Alfred wobbles from loss of balance the higher he gets, his wings stop beating as hard; giving him less lift.

"Keep pumping them or you'll fall." Arthur says. Alfred looks into his father's eyes, nods and pumps his wings as hard as he can. He'd been practicing hovering in his room late at night, but the small boy knew that it was a tiring exercise and that he couldn't keep it up for very long. Feeling his wings grow tired he squeezes his eyes shut, clenches his fists and wills for them to keep him up for just a little longer. He wouldn't stop now, he has to prove to his father that he can do this on his own. With the last bit of strength he has left Alfred pushes on his father's chest, putting a good distance between both of them. It wasn't a moment later that his wings give out on him and he is falling to the ground.

"Alfred!" His father exclaims leaping out to catch his son before he made contact with the ground. His own wings having flared out on instinct to protect them. Holding his son close to his chest Arthur looks him over him for any kind of injury. Long fingers brush along the alpha's scalp, pushing his head back so the beta can examine his face. The older Angels hands are on his wings next, running through his feathers. Alfred wasn't too fond of people touching his wings, but he let it slide knowing that last time he complained about it his father had given him a smack for yelling at his mother to never touch him again. When the wandering hands leave his body and a sigh falls from his dad, Alfred pushes away from him and sits cross-legged in front of him.

It wouldn't be long now before the beta Angel starts to lecture him. Whether it's from his dad or Mari-Ann or both, it was one thing that was garneted every day. His dad told him to be more serious and Mari-Ann told him to listen to his father. Both of them were no fun and didn't understand, so he thought it best if they just left him alone.

"What were you thinking Alfred? That was dangerous, what would you have done had I not been here?" Arthur says in a serious voice. Alfred merely turns his head to the side, a small pout on his face. "Young man you answer me right this instant."

"I don't know." Alfred murmurs, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning at the grass. Keeping his eyes away from his father's makes him feel less guilty. The young Alpha hated the way his father's green eyes would look at him, may it be in pride, happiness or anger; he hated that his father was always looking down at him. When his father looks down on him it makes him want to cry and alphas weren't supposed to cry, yet his father somehow managed to make him do it anyway.

Letting out a tired sigh, Arthur raked a hand through his hair, frustrated with his son's answer. Would his child ever learn? How long would it be till Arthur could let him be on his own and not worry? Looking down at his pouting son Arthur's frustrated features melt away. His little boy is growing up so fast and if he isn't careful on how he treats Alfred now he might lose him forever. Reaching forward with his right hand Arthur touches the side of his sons face, turning the small boy's head to look at him once again. Alfred's eyes however don't meet with his own.

"Alfred, look at me." Arthur says turning his hand over on the boy's cheek, gently dragging his knuckle down the soft skin of his cheek. But the boy refuses to meet his gaze. "Please?" He tries again. He never understood why, but Alfred would break down into tears when their eyes would meet. It broke his heart to see his son in tears but he had to make Alfred understand that right now he isn't angry, he was only worried.

Finally, the boy's eyes glance up shyly to meet his own. Arthur smiles gently at him, wrapping his arm around the middle of the small boy's back and pulling him into a hug. Alfred turns his cheek to rest on his dad's shoulder, but keeps his arms at his sides. The tender feeling of his father caressing his hair helps the boy calm down, but doesn't encourage the alpha to hug his father. They sit together for a long period of time only separated when Alfred squirms away from the beta's hold.

"Alfred, I don't want you to attempt flying for another little while." Arthur says. Alfred looks at his father in shock that quickly morphs into anger. The small Angels wrist is caught before he can attempt to run off. A harsh sneer forms on Alfred's lips while he attempts to rip himself from his father's grip. His small white wings thrash around behind him in his struggle to get away. "Calm yourself boy." Alfred groans, keeping a firm grip on his sons tan wrist. A sharp pull on the boy's small appendage has him tumbling into his father's chest. Attacking quickly Arthur holds his boy tightly, stands and takes to the sky.

The wind whistling in his ears, the breeze ruffling of his hair and the swell of joy in his chest. Those are the feelings Alfred longs for. His wish to fly and be free is stronger than any other. He calms down in his dads grip and lets the feeling of the wind in his hair take over all his senses. Letting his eyes close Alfred relishes in the feeling of the wind wrapping around his whole being. How it flows perfectly through his feathers, how it chills his sun-kissed skin. How it is absolutely perfect.

Too soon his father has landed back on the ground. Alfred is calm and doesn't run off when his father sets him on the ground too. Arthur takes his sons small hand and guides him over to sit against a large pine tree that accompanies a forest that surrounds their property. They sit in silence until Arthur breaks it with what Alfred is guessing another lecture.

"Keep practicing hovering and working the muscles in your wings by stretching and mimicking flying on your feet. Your body is larger than a beta or omega, so your wings need to be strong enough to lift you off the ground." Arthur explains, glancing to the side to make sure the young Angel is listening before continuing. "That's why I don't want you to attempt flying yet. Become stronger Alfred, then you'll have no troubles getting off the ground, understand?" Alfred nods enthusiastically. Standing from the ground the tanned skinned boy makes his move to run from his father. His upper arm however, is caught by said beta.

"Come on dad, I want to practice." Alfred whines, attempting to pull his arm free from his father's grasp.

"Just remember you are going to be taking my place one day, if any harm should befall you or you dawdle on your studies and training it could be grim for the future of his realm." Arthur explains, pulling his alpha son to look him in the eye. "I want what's best for you, please understand that." He says sincerely. A fond smile comes to Arthur's lips as he gently caresses Alfred's wind tousled hair. His son will grow to be a fine young man, one with vigor, strength and a kind heart that with benefit the Angels of Heaven.

"I know dad." The boy replies taking his chance to run off. Arthur watches him run from his spot under the pine tree. The young Angel's wings move and pump in an attempt to push his body off the ground while he runs. Speeches about honor and duty will have to wait until Alfred understands what exactly he's been born into. Not that Arthur minds, if waiting is what he has to do to make his son understand the full extent of his birth right, then so be it. Far better than pushing it on him and making the boy rebellious and hateful. With Alfred still so young everything must be one thing at a time.

Several weeks have passed since Arthur and Alfred had started their practices together. They are able to fit two or three sessions together a week, given that Arthur is not always available at the drop of a hat, but like a good father he does what he can. The dedication Alfred shows in wanting to fly is a perk for the beta Angel. With his young son so eager to get off the ground he applies himself fully, making sure to be patient and take it step by step. While with his father the alpha child practices hovering from higher heights with the help of Arthur, which are followed by stretches and muscle building exercises he can use on his own. Alfred does the tasks his father assigns him, but he pushes himself a lot harder than he lets on. Staying up all night doing exercises for not only his wings, but also his mind and body have helped him improve but worn him out. The young alpha would even go as far as sneak out on windy nights onto the veranda outside the large glass door in his room. Alfred feels that hiding secret training behind his back will make him into something great, even all his younger Angels tell him that. They love watching him so much they run from their work to see their young master practice in the garden.

"Wow! Young master Alfred is so amazing!" A small blond haired boy exclaims. A small group of young Angels have gathered on the far side of the garden behind the servant's quarters to watch Alfred fly. Two dark skinned brothers, both betas gape at Alfred as he hovers gracefully in the air. A small omega girl with chestnut brown hair reaches out to her young master's white feathers, giggling when they would beat at the air to keep Alfred afloat. The last Angel is an alpha with thick shaggy blond hair that fall into his hazel eyes, eyes which could not peel away from the beautiful feathers of Alfred's wings.

"Don't call me young master, just Alfred is fine." Alfred says as he makes a wobbly decent to the ground. He lands on his feet with a wide grin on his face, his arms stuck out on either side of his body; awaiting the praise from his friends. Clapping and shouts of approval from the four Angels is returned with a mock bow from Alfred, who crosses his right arm across his chest and bends his body forward. A clap on the alphas back between his fatigued wings sends him stumbling forward and falling to the ground in a cloud of dust.

Silence falls over the children as they stared at their friend lying motionless on the ground. The older of the mocha skinned brothers glare at the hazel eyed alpha who looks close to tears, obviously regretting what he'd done. The silence seems to drag on forever till it is broken by muffled laughter from the fallen alpha. The laughter gets louder when Alfred pushes himself onto his hands and knees. Uncertain of what's happening to their master the four children watch him with curious gazes. Small giggles from the omega girl are quickly joined with Alfred's hysteric laughter. It isn't long till all five children are laughing together. The joyous sounds soon died off into gasps for breath and breathily chuckles. Wiping stray tears from the corners of his hazel eyes, the blond hair alpha reaches out to help Alfred from the dusty ground. Smiling in thanks Alfred takes his hand back and proceeds to pat at his dusty clothes.

Spending time with his friends and showing off to them is something Alfred treasures dearly. Since he'd been practicing and having lessons with his dad the young alpha has been teaching his own friends how to fly. The other blond haired alpha, Frey, took the lessons as seriously as Alfred and is an eager learner; he was Alfred's best friend. The two beta brothers, Leo the oldest, Timothy the youngest, are the sons of one of the house maids, but ran off to spend their time watching and following their young masters lessons. The omega girl, Sophia, found her way out to them by following Frey since they lived close by each other because both their fathers where Angel warriors. These four Angels may be 'below' him as his father said, but Alfred prefers to call them his friends, he treasures all of them.

A distant calling of his name and the sound of running feet make all the young Angel children look behind them towards the house. Squinting his eyes Alfred is faintly able to make out an Angel with sandy-blond hair waving an arm around to get their attention, running towards them. Alfred moves himself to stand in front of his friends as the Angel gets closer towards them. Out of the corner of his eye the boy sees Leo pick up his little brother, who along with Sophia are both three years younger than Alfred and Frey. Leo isn't big or strong enough to hold his brother up in his arms like his mother would, so he opted to put the young beta down and hold his brother close to his side. Frey stood a step behind Alfred, Sophia stands close to the hazel-eyed alpha, grabbing tightly at the leg of his pants.

"Young master! Young master Alfred!" The male Angel calls out as he gets closer. Alfred is now able to make out his face and notices that it's Simon, an omega troop serving for his father. Simon would often visit the main house to hold meetings with Arthur. Simon would also spend time telling Alfred stories about his time on earth, which he is never to tell his father about since he'd become cross with not only Alfred, but Simon too if he found out. Mari-Ann didn't fully approve of the time Simon spent around Alfred, so most of the time they would meet it'd be in short sessions while Alfred was playing on his own.

Taking a few steps forward Alfred stands before the panting Angel, waiting for him to catch his breath before asking what Simon wants. Taking big gasps of air Simon quickly recovers from loss of breath and smiles down at the young alpha boy. The omega also made note of the other Angel children, giving them all a warm smile and a wave. All except Leo waves back at him before the male omega returns his focus back to Alfred.

"How is your flying coming along young master Alfred?" Simon asks. Alfred doesn't bother correcting him on the 'young master' part. No matter how many times he asks, everyone prefers to stay respectful and call him by the honorific. It mostly bothers him because of the way his father demanded to be called 'Lord' or 'Master' by everyone who works for him and for some reason Alfred hated it. All the content that came from his father that had anything to do with respect, discipline and place made the alpha's skin crawl. One day he'd show his father that he wasn't truly a leader, only a boss.

"Alright, I can't fly yet." The boy answers.

"Alfred can fly! He can! He can! He gets off the ground and stays there! It's so amazing and his wings are so beautiful, I'm so jealous!" Frey exclaims, fanatically waving his arms around and batting his own wings, causing Sophia to back away from him as to not get hit. Simon chuckles softly and smiles warmly at the young boy's intensity. This boy acted like Alfred did when he wasn't trying to act grown up in front of adult Angels or his friends. The blue-eyed omega found it amusing to see Alfred's attempts at changing his demeanor around others.

"Master Alfred can't fly yet, he can only hover." Leo informs them from behind his alpha friends, his brother now gone from his side to standing with Sophia away from Frey's flapping wings. This boy was incredibly intelligent for his age Simon remarks. Being born into a life learning to take care of a household and the people in it calls for boys just like Leo. Simon has no doubts that Leo would make his mother proud, and of course Arthur when the boy would start working. The younger of the two beta's seemed to be more free spirited, truly wanting to explore, but still too young and frightened to leave his brother and mother's side.

"Al, fly!" Sophia squeals, clutching her arms close to her body to build up enough strength to flap her small wings on her back. Beside her Timothy nods his head and flapping his arms, his wings twitching behind him. Both three-year-olds Sophia and Timothy technically shouldn't be out there with other children without supervision, Simon figures it was ok now that he was present.

"Hovering isn't flying Frey, Leo's right, I still can't fly." Alfred says to his overly excited friend. Frey frowns and lets his wings fall slack behind him, pouting at Alfred's lack of enthusiasm. Sophia and Timothy also stop to gaze curiously at the two alphas.

"Don't give up young master, you've been working so hard. All that hard work will pay of and you'll be flying in no time." Simon says in an encouraging tone. It's easy for Simon to understand what Alfred is going through, all Angels have to learn to fly. Simon himself had been just like Alfred. To get where he was today the omega had to work harder than any of his peers. He thought himself extremely lucky to not have lost motivation like so many others dad. "That's it!" Simon declares suddenly, causing all the children to jump.

It was obvious the whole time, if Alfred can see how his work will pay off it'll be easier for him to practice. In high spirits, Simons tells the children to stay put, he wants to show them something. The male omega walks past the confused Angels, making his way closer to the forested area that surrounds them. Turning towards them, Simon offers a triumphant smile before he pushes himself of the ground. With a couple of beats of his wings Simon pushes himself higher. Now with enough altitude the older Angel flies over the tops of trees of the forest and stops to look back at the children who are staring at him in awe on the ground.

Watching an older Angel fly was mesmerising to the younger ones. Frey is the first one to snap out of astonishment, only to run forward thrashing his wings about in excitement. Leo watches with faked indifference, only moving to run after his brother when the younger beta and Sophia took off after Frey. Alfred watches as his friends run off, though not for long as it's hard to take his eyes off of the flying Angel. The alpha is aware that Simon's showing off as he flips, spins and practically dances in the air. Knowing that doesn't stop him from being absolutely taken with the sight. This is exactly how he wants to fly, to be free, to have the ability to jump of the ground whenever he pleased, to dance in the air like the omega was now.

The performance is over far too quickly for Alfred's liking, but as Simon lands back onto the ground he seems rather tried. His breath came in short gasps, but he smiles nonetheless while the small Angels praise him. Watching Simon has relit a spark inside Alfred, it's his resolve to be greater than this omega. He's already strong and he'd only get stronger, it would be simple to out fly Simon. A few more years, that's all the determined alpha would need, a few more years and there would be no one who could parallel with his skill. With that thought in his mind Alfred pledges that he will work even harder from this day forth.

"You should all return home now, dinner should be getting prepared soon and your parents will worry if you are not home." Simon tells them, a simultaneous whine came from three the children. Reaching for his brother's hand Leo waves at them goodbye as he proceeds to head back to the servants quarters, his little brother reluctantly in tow. Frey and Sophia live with their parents in the soldier's settlement on the other side of the forest. They both said goodbye and head for the path in the forest that would take them home. "Come along young master, your father won't be pleased if you're late for dinner." Simon says, walking pass Alfred, veering away from the servant's quarters and making his way to the main house.

Alfred waits until Simon is a ways away before tilting his head to look up to the sky. White clouds blotched the pale blue sky, in the distance the sun could be seen slowly making it's decent behind the trees. Watching the sun disappear always makes Alfred feel melancholic, to lose something so precious from even a small amount of time makes his heart ache. Even knowing it would come back every day doesn't change the fact that it leaves. It leaves Alfred alone in the dark, with only the pale glow of the moon in its place. Only giving him a taste of something he isn't allowed to completely consume. It frustrates him, but he tries not to dwell on it because he has to focus more on flying now.

Bringing his head back down, a small movement in the window of the tower catches Alfred's eye. Normally there were wooden shutters in front of the window, but today pale yellow curtains hung in the window sill. If Alfred hadn't known better he'd say he saw a person move the curtains, but he did know better. Mari-Ann has told him countless times not to go in the tower, that it was only used for storage. It seems odd that sometimes the wooden shutters were open and other times they were not. So just like always, Alfred doesn't dwell on it and makes haste in getting to the main house for dinner.

Sitting with his back against the stone wall, Matthew takes a moment to calm himself down. Again he'd been watching a group of Angel children flying. Being alone in the tower the omega would find himself growing bored after he'd finished his studies. Early in the morning Mari-Ann would bring breakfast, then he would be told what to study during the day. Normally the black-winged boy would take his time doing his work so it lasted him all day however, recently a group of Angel children has caught his attention. Now he would finish his studies before noon, eat lunch with Mari-Ann and by the time she was gone the group are already outside or were there soon after.

Envy isn't a feeling he'd say he has for them, it was more of excitement. Having never seen children his age act in real life and not books is a sight worth beholding. It's fascinating to watch them interact with each other. The way that they aren't all the same is a plus, each Angel child has their own personality, for that Matthew was ecstatic for. Each child gave him a different fantasy about how Matthew would collaborate with them.

The tallest brown skinned boy would probably enjoy reading along with Matthew. The girl might enjoy making flower crowns with Matthew or perhaps share gossip with him. Nothing truly came to mind when he thinks about the smaller brown skinned boy, though he might like to play with Matthew's figurines, the omega boy wasn't interested in them anymore. The two blond haired boys however, intrigue Matthew the most. Both of them were always smiling and working hard to fly. It's obvious to Matthew which of them works harder, his technique always a step ahead of the other boys. What he wouldn't give to have them teach him to fly.

Shaking his head of those thoughts, he recalls how today was different than all the other times. An adult Angel had shown up and flown for the children. Matthew had been so absorbed in watching the older Angels beautiful flying. His wings were of the purest white, his skill like nothing Matthew had ever witnessed. The grace and fines of his skill in the air was a treasure to the eyes, something so pure and beautiful should be locked away, kept from all harm. Flying the way he had was the cause of a seed of sadness to sprout in the young omega's heart. Was there a chance for Matthew to ever be as beautiful as that Angel? He doubted it, his wings are still black; he was still ugly.

The sound of the tower door unlocking has Matthew on his feet and running to pull out two cushions to the small table. The table was low to the ground and sat in the middle of the room on the old rug. About a year ago Mari-Ann had it brought up so that Matthew could use it to draw and write on. It was the only thing that had changed in the tower besides the new curtains, the plush purple cushions they sat on and new books. The two bottom shelves of the big bookshelf were full, the third row only half way.

"Good evening ma'am" Matthew says, sitting down on his cushion at the table. She nods in response and lays a basket on the table. Reaching in, she pulls out a single plate, a fork and a glass cup. Setting them in from of Matthew, she wordlessly fills his plate with leftover pork, steamed carrots and half of a baked potato. Mari-Ann fills his cup with an orange liquid Matthew assumes is orange juice; he hated orange juice. "Thank you for the meal." The small omega murmurs, picking up his fork and eating the carrots from his plate first.

No small talk is shared between the two, Mari-Ann has taught Matthew not to talk with food in his mouth so therefore he shouldn't talk at the table at all. With that in mind he eats quickly, washing down the cold rubbery pork with juice before declaring he's finished. The boy places his dishes back in the basket then sits back down on his cushion. His hands are placed firmly on the wooden surface of the table, contemplating how he should bring up his question to Mari-Ann. Swallowing thickly, Matthew opens with mouth to speak.

"When do I get to go outside to fly?" Matthew asks timidly, his arms shake with nervousness and his eyes stay staring at the wooden surface of the table. Mari-Ann doesn't reply right away, letting the question hang in the air, making Matthew feel sweat run down the back of his neck. Finally, Mari-Ann reaches across the table to grab Matthew's wrist in a vise like grip. Wincing in pain, Matthew knows that he has upset his caretaker. She normally doesn't get physical with the omega but he knows that she's furious if she touches him.

"What did you just say?" Mari-Ann grits out. Her teeth grind together in anger, her grip on Matthew's wrist also tightens till she can feel the tendons moving beneath the small boy's skin.

"That, that hurts, please stop." Matthew whines, attempting to pull free of the beta's hold.

"Answer me!" The woman snaps. She lifts the boy by his wrist and tosses him back. Matthew lands on his back, half on the rug half on the end of the cushion. He whimpers and curls onto his side, clutching at his throbbing wrist. Tears form in the corners of the boy's violet eyes, regret settling in his stomach making him want to hurl everything he's just eaten. He should've just kept his mouth shut. If he'd just been a good boy and kept his mouth shut he wouldn't be in this mess.

Losing her patience Mari-Ann stands up and walks around to pick Matthew up by the collar of his white t-shirt. The caretaker kneels in front of the sniffling boy and lifts his chin so he's looking her in the eye. His eyes are glossed over in tears, his cheeks are wet with the salty water; this frail omega truly looks like a pathetic child. Clicking her tongue, Mari-Ann lets go of the Matthew and waits for him to speak.

Taking a moment to wipe his tear stained face Matthew does his best to quickly compose himself. When his breath is back and his eyes are dry the black-winged boy takes a shaking breath before he speaks.

"I saw Angel children today from the window. They were flying together and I wanted to know when I was going to be able to start flying too." Matthew confesses, rubbing his sore wrist nervously and keeping his eyes on the ground. He'd do well to watch his mouth now, if possible Matthew never wanted Mari-Ann to touch him again.

"You listen and you listen well boy." Mari-Ann starts, grabbing the small boy's chin again and pointing her index finger in his face. "You don't ever, and I mean ever open those shutters during the day, do I make myself clear?" Matthew nods and squeaks out a yes, backing away from his caretaker when she let go of him. Mari-Ann stands from her crouched position and walks to the bookshelf. Placing her hand on the side of the wood, she reaches down to the second shelf and extracted a book, opens it up and showed the page of words to Matthew. "Stay focused on your books, you don't need to be outside where Angels have to lay there eyes on you. Flying for someone like you is unnecessary and shouldn't be encouraged. The only thing you need to be happy his a bed to sleep on, food to eat and books to read. Do you understand?" Snapping the book shut, the beta Angel doesn't wait for Matthew to reply. She put the book back in its place, collects the basket and leaves without another word, locking the door behind her.

For a long while Matthew stands still in his world of silence, repeating Mari-Ann's words in his mind. 'Someone like you.' Someone like him, was he something different than everyone else? Perhaps he was special like a character in one of his books, special enough that he didn't need to be taught how to fly. No, that couldn't be right. Mari-Ann had said it shouldn't be encouraged so he was probably the opposite of special. But why? Matthew wonders if he may have done something wrong to anger other Angels. No, that couldn't be it, the violet-eyed boy had been locked up in a tower for as long as he could remember. What was it then?

Sighing in defeat the omega put the cushions back at the end on his nest. Matthew still preferred to arrange the pillows and blankets in a nest like shape on the mattress. It made him feel safe, plus it kept him warmer if he was curled up. Plopping down in the center of his nest and wrapping a blanket around his shoulders the omega stares out into the darkness of his room. Mari-Ann was going to have to bring candles again for him so he could see at night.

A sudden gust of wind rustled the curtains above Matthew's nest. The small boy stands up and turns to the window, the feathers of his wings also shudder in the wind. The pale yellow curtains whip around in the breeze, letting moon light illuminate his room. Standing on his toes, Matthew pulls the curtains along the rod they were on; opening them enough to close the wooden shutters. Looking out at the night sky Matthew is suddenly reminded of the Angel he saw flying today. It was a beauty he never wanted to forget. Making quick work of shutting the shutters, the black-winged boy ran to the bin that held his colouring supplies.

Placing a sheet of paper on the table and his colouring pencils beside it Matthew wraps the blanket around his torso so that his arms are free and knelt at the table. He grabs his favourite sky blue colour and brought it to the paper. He drew the sky, the trees, the clouds and then finally the flying Angel. Matthew decided on changing the colour of the Angel's white shirt to a dark blue to make it easier to see on the page. When he was done Matthew ran his fingers along the drawing, letting the pads of his fingers still on the white wings of the Angel. One day, he thought, one day his wings would be this beautiful white.


	4. Chapter 4: Beauty and the Beast

Loud cries filled the empty halls of the main house. A crowd has gathered at a single room to get a glance at the source of the cries. The potent smell of blood didn't stop curious onlookers from trying to sneak a peek at the new young master. Hushed murmurs from the observers discuss what the newcomer looks like. Perhaps it was a beautiful little princess. No, it is most definitely a little prince, the mistress had been too large from it to be anything but a strong prince. It must be an alpha then, but that would mean two alpha children. Hopefully young master Alfred will take kindly to his new sibling if they happen to be an alpha.

The murmurs were silenced, however, when a small body pushed its way through the crowd. Making themselves scarce, the eager servants made way for the young boy to enter the crowded chamber. Getting past the crowd the child stopped dead in his tracks. Laying on the large bed was his mother, sweating and wincing in pain every so often, but smiling softly at the figure in the wet-nurse's arms. Alice's green eyes never left the fussing newborn as the wet-nurse walked around the bed to hand the child to its father.

The whimpering child is lifted into the air by the beta where it could be seen by all. The child is indeed male, its tiny wings were stained a dark pink from not yet having a proper bath. His eyes were closed tight, blocking wandering eyes from seeing the colour. As Arthur turns to show off his new greatest joy, gasps and murmurs start again. Decorating the back of the baby is a white tattoo like a double helix. Opening at the nape of his neck the helix grew smaller as it reaches the bottom of his spine. This child is an alpha.

Handing the baby back to the wet-nurse again Arthur grabs his wife's hand, kissing her forehead. A female beta hands him a damp cloth which he uses to wipe the sweat from her exhausted face. The female beta adjusts the blankets over Alice's sore body before leaving the bedside. The wet-nurse returns with their newly washed son wrapped in a soft blue blanket who is placed in his mother's arms.

"What will you call him?" The question is asked by the head chef accompanied by many nods from the other eagerly awaiting servants. Arthur glances at the crowd by the door, then to his wife who gives him a small nod of approval.

"We've decided on the name Kyle." Arthur tells them, looking at his new born son with gentle fondness.

"Master Arthur must have good blood to be blessed with two alpha sons." The nurse says, still standing at the bedside. Arthurs nod is almost mechanical as he is unable to take his eyes off his child. Not even the calls from the servants demanding where Alfred is running off too can pull Arthurs attention away from his new little miracle.

Alfred can no longer stand being in that room. His body itches to get up on his mother's bed and claw out the eyes of this little brat. An alpha brat no less, who thinks he can come into Alfred's home and steal the spotlight. The blood is pumping so loud in his ears he doesn't even hear what his father is saying before he's running out of the room. The servants call out after him, but Alfred keeps running feeling betrayed, furious and weak. He knew that his mother was going to have another baby, but that baby wasn't supposed to be an alpha like him. He is old enough now to understand that two alphas under one household would have to fight each other often to maintain dominance. Fighting isn't something the angry alpha was looking forward too.

Exiting the house through an open window Alfred spread his wings and took to the sky. It has been almost four years since Alfred was able to fly on his own. A year after being re-motivated by Simon, the alpha had taken his first flight. Flying over the tops of the trees and looking down at his home from the sky had been the best feeling in his life. He never went more than a day without flying, it made him feel alive; the sky gave him the freedom to be anything that he wanted with no restrictions. Free from his father, his teachers and now his little brother.

Just beyond the garden Alfred spots a person making their way to the forest. Wondering why there is someone outside and not inside celebrating his brother's birth, Alfred folds his wings close to his back diving from the ground. Seeing the alpha coming straight for them the person stops, covering their face with their arms preparing for impact. Just before hitting the ground however, Alfred snaps his wings out, stopping himself before slamming into the older Angel. With a few beats of his powerful wings Alfred lowers his feet to the ground in front of the tense Angel.

A moment passes, Alfred watching the person curiously before speaking.

"What are you doing out here?" He says, moving forward to peek under the arms of the Angel to see their face. Hearing Alfred's voice the Angel hesitantly removes their arms from their head. A smile comes to Alfred's face when he recognises the older Angel. "Simon! I didn't know you were here!" Alfred exclaims in excitement. Simon has been spending a lot of his time in the soldier's settlements training new recruits.

"Yes, I came to say goodbye to your father but it seems he's preoccupied at the moment." Simon says, smiling at Alfred and fondly ruffling his hair. The rate Alfred was growing was phenomenal, it was hard to tell that he's an eleven-year-old boy with the way that he was growing physically. Muscles in his arms and legs were starting to become noticeable, he was quickly growing to the height of a teenaged beta. Blond hair had been cut above his ears, a stray strand stuck up in the partition. Bright deep blue eyes that were usually full of happiness and life seemed to be replaced with frustration and irritation. Simon assumes these were temporary emotions, but still had him unsettled.

"Goodbye? Where are you going?" Alfred grips Simons white shirt, a silent plea for the omega not to go. Seeing Simon outside and not cooing over his brother like the rest of house has him thinking Simon is on the same page as him, as in not caring about the new alpha. Everyone would ignore him now, but Alfred hopes that Simon would at least be around to help him and his friends with their flying. Frey and Leo could both fly rather well, it was Timothy and Sophia that need the most help and Alfred couldn't help all of them at the same time. If Simon left Alfred would have no adult to turn too, that's something he absolutely could not live with. "Please don't go," Alfred says under his breath in a begging tone.

A light chuckle comes from Simon, causing Alfred to tilt his head back to look up at the older Angel. Simon kneels in front of Alfred and puts a hand on his shoulder. The omegas gentle dark blue eyes look at Alfred with the same stare Arthur had given his new brother. It makes Alfred's heart beat faster and a warm feeling grow in his stomach. A light squeeze on his shoulder makes the alpha shift a step closer to the kneeling omega.

"I'll only be gone for two weeks and then I'll be back." Simon says, his voice is gentle and reassuring.

"Why?" Alfred whispers, afraid that if he talks any louder he'll start to cry. Simon immediately hears the quiver in Alfred voice and wonders if Alfred is truly going to cry because he is leaving.

"My… heat, it's coming soon so I have to leave for a little while." Simon explains, embarrassed to have to talk about something so private. Alfred's eyes widen at Simons response and his feeling of sadness is gone as quickly as it came. Alfred always forgets about omega and their heats, his mother being very private about it and other omegas sneak away and are back before he even notices they're gone. Omegas heats only last for five days two times a year so it's easy for them to sneak away and be back to work after a week. But Simon said two weeks, were male omegas heats different then?

"Then why two weeks?" Alfred blurts out, not even giving a thought to what his question entails before letting it slip past his lips. A bashful blush comes to Simon's cheeks, his eyes shift to glance at the ground, his hand falling from Alfred's shoulder. Simon can't bring himself to tell the young alpha he's found someone to spend his heat with, it'd be too risky. He trusts Alfred, but if he was to accidently let that information slip Simon could find himself in more trouble than it's worth.

"Alfred, you should be with your new brother, not out here with me." Simon says, avoiding the question altogether. The anger and irritation returns to Alfred's features at the mention of his brother. He takes a step away from the male omega, turning his head to the side and frowning at the ground. That little rat is going to be the only thing people are going to talk about for a long time. Alfred is already sick of hearing about the new little prince, and Simon is the last person Alfred wants to hear about his new brother from.

"No, he's stupid and I hate him." Alfred grumbled, his lip pulling into a snarl as he thinks about the love the baby is probably receiving at the moment. A look of shock came to Simons face at Alfred's words. Alfred had been so happy to get a new sibling and now he suddenly hated them, why?

"You hate him, why? I thought you were excited for him." Simon frowns, confused he gets up from his kneeling position.

"Because," was Alfred's simple reply, a pout on his lips, his eyebrows curved into a deep frown. Simon sighs, reaching out his hand for Alfred to take, realizing exactly what was going on. Alfred is jealous, he probably doesn't know it or understand that he's jealous, but he is. Reluctantly, the young boy took the offered hand and let the blue-eyed male walk them over to the shade of a tree. Simon couldn't completely understand the jealousy Alfred is feeling because he has no siblings of his own, but he does know jealousy for female omegas. He'd give anything to have the same rights as the females.

The omega let go of Alfred's hand and sits down with his back against a large pine tree, setting his bag down to the side. He takes a moment to adjust his wings till he's leaning back without crushing the delicate white feathers. Alfred stands looking down at Simon, contemplating for a moment before to Simon's surprise, sits himself down between the omegas legs. The older Angel could tell Alfred is unsure if his actions were acceptable from how tense the young boy's shoulders were. Simon smiles gently, bringing his hands up and around the tips of the white wings to Alfred's shoulders, pushing the alphas back against his abdomen.

Alfred relaxes as soon as his back rests against Simon, the boy shifts until his wings are comfortably placed on Simon's front. He feels safe and warm when the omegas arms wrap around his shoulders, resting on his chest. He doesn't know why, but seeing Simon sitting on the ground the way he had been gave him the impulse to sit as close as possible to the blue eyed Angel. Alfred needs this, needs to be held by someone, needs to be close to someone who he truly believes cares for his wellbeing and not his status. He doesn't know why, but something about the omega resting behind him made him feel more at home then when he lays in his own bed.

Removing one arm from Alfred's chest Simon brings a hand to Alfred's hair, slowly running his fingers through the silky strands. They sit for a long moment together like this. It calms both of them; Alfred feeling less angry, Simon less anxious. A light breeze rustling the trees behind them is the only noise along with their steady breathing. After a while longer Simon opens his mouth to speak.

"I'll never truly be able to understand how you feel because I'm not an alpha, but I can tell you that it will make your life much easier if you take care of your brother instead of hate him." Alfred shifts at Simon's words, looking ready to say something so the older Angel tightens his hold on the young boy. "Hear me out, I'm not against you I just want your life to be filled with happiness." The alpha continues to squirm in his arms so Simon lets him go. Alfred shifts his body until he's turned around to face the omega. Alfred doesn't say anything, he merely looks at Simon, waiting for him to continue.

"To be happy you must do what you believe is best for you, no one knows what that is but you. However, know that being kind and accepting will bring not only yourself happiness, but others too." Simon pushes Alfred bangs from his face and cups his cheek. "You are strong, strong enough to protect the things you love so you absolutely have to. Your little brother isn't strong yet, you have to look after him, be a responsible big brother; think you can do that?" Simon watches Alfred frown in thought.

"How do I do that?" The alpha asks, nuzzling the palm of Simon's hand, feeling frustrated.

"Teach him everything you know, he'll want to be become like you and is less likely to fight you. So you have to become stronger, if you let him become stronger he'll take the things you love. Become the strongest and protect him instead of fight him." Cupping both of the young boys cheeks Simon looks into the boy's bright blue eyes with his own passionate dark blue. "Love, Alfred. Learn to love him, when you love something you must protect it no matter what, even if it means giving up your life, you must become strong and protect the things you love; do you understand?" Simons tone is laced with seriousness, passion and a hint of something Alfred thinks is guilt.

By now Alfred's body is trembling in determination, yes that's what he'll do, he will become strong, he will protects the things he loves, promises that he will. He will train hard, study hard, and never give up to become stronger. No one with be able to parallel to him, and he'll do it all to protect.

"Okay, I will do it, I will protect my brother and the things I love." Alfred says with a nod of his head.

"Good." The older Angel says, hugging Alfred to his body on impulse. He holds Alfred close for a short moment. Feeling the hug not being returned Simon is about to let go when two small but strong arm embraces his stomach area. They sit in their embrace for a while longer, then Simon whispers softly into Alfred's ear. "You'll be the greatest hero ever."

The words have Alfred jumping out of his arms and running around in excitement. His wings thrash around as he rants on about being a strong hero. The alpha has Simon chuckling when he picks up a stick and 'protects' the omega from invisible enemies. Alfred turns back and gives Simon the biggest, brightest smile he's ever seen from the boy. For a minute Simon can't do anything but stare at the boy's smile. This is it, this was the smile that should be adorning Alfred's face forever. A beautiful happy grin that would pull to his lips always.

Standing from the ground Simon picks up his bag, the strap coming up between his shoulder blades and tying in the front of his chest. Once the bag is tied tight enough to his liking the omega stretches out his white wings, giving them an experimental flap before Alfred is wrapped around his waist in a hug. They embrace one last time, Simon being the first to break their hug and move away from the tree. He turns to look back at Alfred, the boy still has a smile on his face, but it's a sad one.

"Don't worry I'll be back soon." Simon says reassuringly. "You know I think I saw fresh baked sweets in the kitchen, why don't you go get some before going to see your new baby brother?" Again Alfred's face is lighting up and with one last wave the young alpha is off the ground and flying back to the servant's quarters. Simon waits a moment longer before letting his hand fall back to his side. A feeling of sadness washes over the Angel, but is quickly pushed away. He can't be feeling like this, not now, he must be positive, he must give Alfred all the support necessary to realize his new dream. With that thought in mind Simon gets a running start into the clearing and takes off into the sky.

As silently as possible Alfred attempts to open the door leading into the kitchen. He wouldn't want to get caught stealing sweets, especially before dinner. Finally getting the door open, Alfred peeks in to see if anyone is around. To his surprise not a single soul occupies the kitchen, then again everyone is probably still in the main house with his parents and brother. Stepping into the kitchen Alfred closes the door behind him and makes a beeline for the island. The smell of oatmeal muffins fill Alfred's nose, though it's not the smell of fresh out of the oven muffins he's normally used to snatching. Either way his hand reaches across the island for the treat. Before he can get his hand on one the sound of a door opening and slamming shut has Alfred ducking behind the island.

The sound of footsteps get closer and the alpha has excuses running through his head, mulling over which one would be best to use. It would be even worse if he's caught goofing around when his brother has just been born, he'll never hear the end of it from his father. The clicking of a heeled shoe against the stone floor tells Alfred it's probably a woman who has entered the kitchen, maybe a cook or Leo's mother, just don't let it be Mari-Ann Alfred; prays silently. When the footsteps stop on the opposite side of the island the young boys eyebrows frown in confusion. Maybe he hasn't been seen and the person is only here to grab something for his mother. An irritated, frustrated sound comes from them before a sound of something slamming onto the islands wooden surface causes Alfred to jump in surprise.

"That little brat." The person hisses and Alfred immediately knows the voice as Mari-Ann's. The Angel boys hand flies straight to his mouth to cover any noise that may escape. This is it, his final moments, his father has sent Mari-Ann to get him and these might be his last few breaths. Mari-Ann is never rude or mean to Alfred, but she is just as strict, she also lectures him as much as Arthur. The last time the alpha had been caught in the kitchen snatching goodies his nanny had scolded him for what felt like forever. That was something Alfred definitely did not want to repeat, he can only imagine it will be worse because Mari-Ann sounds angry.

When Mari-Ann starts walking again Alfred's wings curl around his shoulders in an attempt to hide himself. Mari-Ann, however, doesn't come around the side of the table, but from what Alfred can tell she is making her way to the entrance of the tower. Curiosity getting the better of him, the Angel shuffles to the edge of the island to peek around the corner. He is only able to see a fraction of Mari-Ann's figure- mostly her ruffled wings, but she was definitely now stopped at the door to the tower. Her fist came down on the wood of the rickety old door with a frustrating growl.

"Do you hear me you spoiled little monster!" Mari-Ann yells at the door. "Consider yourself lucky I still drag my ass up to feed your feeble carcass!" To hear curse words from the beta woman shocked Alfred greatly, but confusion overtook that shock. Who was his nanny talking to? Could there really be a monster living in the tower? Was that why no one ever went up there? Alfred was moving back behind the island when Mari-Ann slammed her first once more against the door before turning on her heels and leaving through the door that leads into the main house.

A minute or two goes by before Alfred's crawling from his hiding space. He glances around the kitchen area, confirming that Mari-Ann has left and the kitchen is once again empty. Bare feet advance around the island to the opposite side where the beta Angel had been standing. A single empty plate has been left on the surface. The dull blue plate seems undamaged from being slammed on the wood, only a few crumbs lay in the center and on the edges of the plate. Whatever is up in the tower, Mari-Ann is feeding it.

Forgetting about the muffins and empty plate, Alfred walks over to the door that leads to the stairs of the tower. The door is heavy and it takes all of Alfred's strength to pull it open. Slipping in the door before it closes on him, Alfred kicks off the ground and with a few heavy beats of his wings he flies up the narrow spiral staircase. Once at the top Alfred comes across another closed wooden door surrounded by stone wall. The alpha lands gracefully on the creaky timber of the floor and walks down a small corridor to the door. He reaches for the iron handle on the door and pulls only to find it locked. Mari-Ann must have locked the door after feeding the monster inside.

Alfred moves closer to the door and leans against it, turning his head to the side the Angel rests his ear against the entry, listening for any sounds. For a while the alpha hears nothing till he closes his eyes tight concentrating harder on his sense of hearing. Muffled sobs from inside the tower's room reach Alfred's ear. Hearing crying coming from the room brings an unknown feeling to his chest. His instincts tell him to break down the door and comfort whoever is on the other side. However, the young Angel exhales a shaky breath moving away from the door and bringing his hand up to knock on the wood.

Nothing happens so the determined boy tries again, knocking harder this time. Right before Alfred tries to knock again he hears movement from the inside of the room. His ear is immediately against the door again listening for more movement. Hearing none the alpha knocks one more time.

"Hey!" Alfred yells playfully at the door, he doesn't want to scare whoever is inside, but he wants them to at least answer him. "I know you're in there so you might as well answer me." Listening closely Alfred can hear a soft whisper from the other side of the door. "Speak up I can't hear you" Alfred calls out loudly.

"…Hello." The soft voice is barely audible, but Alfred picks up on it. His heart is beating a mile a minute and his stomach is doing flips at the sound of this person's voice. Hearing the voice makes him desperate to know what they look like, just from their voice Alfred is thinking that they must be a beautiful princess captured by the witch Mari-Ann.

"Unlock the door, I want to see you." Alfred says, pulling harshly on the handle of the door. The alpha hears murmurs from the princess and lets out a sigh. "Speak up, I can't hear you." The boy stops pulling on the door and waits for the princess to speak.

"The door is locked from the outside, you need a key to get in." The princess explains, obviously straining their voice so that Alfred can hear. Alfred huffs in defeat, knowing he doesn't have a key and that Mari-Ann is probably the one with it. He thinks for a moment of what he could do to get in the door when the princess speaks again. "If you can fly I could open the window for you to get in." They says hesitantly as if they know it's a bad idea and could land them in a lot of trouble. Ignoring the hesitance in the voice Alfred grins and laughs out loud, joyous but annoying.

"I will be there soon princess, wait for me!" The alpha is running off down the corridor and down the stairs before the princess has a chance to reply.

Matthew stands bewildered at the door of his room. What just happened? He knew from the tone of the stranger they were male, but no one except Mari-Ann ever came up to visit him, so who is this boy? Realizing the reason the boy had run off the hybrid ran to his nest under the window. Drawing the curtains away from the wooden shutters, the omega stood on the tips of his toes his wings flapped in an unfruitful attempt to lift him up for leverage, Matthew pulled the right shutter open, then the left.

Letting out a huff Matthew backed away from the window and waited for the strange boy to make his appearance. Thoughts of what the boy would look like ran through Matthew's head. Perhaps he would have black wings like him or maybe an omega just like himself. Matthew was still learning about the dynamics and their roles, but he'd never met another omega or alpha before. What if the boy didn't like him? Matthew had never spoken with anyone but Mari-Ann, he would surely make a fool of himself and lose the only chance at a friend he's ever had. A friend like the characters in his books, someone to laugh with, play with and tell stories with. But Matthew was hardly ready for such a huge step.

Growing nervous and impatient the black-winged boy's toes curled and uncurled, his hands pulling at the hem of his too large white shirt. Unlike the beta's own clothes, a large hole had been ripped in the back of the shirt by Mari-Ann to make room for his wings. His stained white pants from two years prior still fit because of his malnourished, boney frame. Luckily, yesterday had been bathing night, plus Mari-Ann had brought him an extra blanket since fall was turning to winter, so he slept better; the bags under his eyes less prominent.

Feeling slightly less nervous after a few calming breaths, Matthew ran a hand through his shoulder length strawberry blond hair in the last attempt to make himself presentable before the sound of flapping wings could be heard from outside.

Seeing the shutters now open made Alfred fly faster to the top of the tower. He is absolutely ecstatic to meet the princess, she will want Alfred to save her, be her hero and protect her from the wicked witch. He can see the inside of the room now, all the wall is made of stone unlike the stairway which is made of wood. Landing on the window sill, the alpha tucks his wings tight to his back and drops down on the stone floor of the room. The large smile that has spread across Alfred's face drops, replaced with a look of bewilderment. Jaw hanging slack the blond haired boy stares at the Angel standing in the middle of the room.

This was the most beautiful Angel Alfred had even seen. Pale skin covered their body, a few pink blemishes here and there, but alluring nonetheless. Shiny, healthy shoulder length blond hair. Though red rimmed and puffy from obviously crying, they have gorgeous, innocent purple eyes that were surrounded by long, thick black eyelashes. The Angel is definitely lacking muscle and body fat, which makes anger pump in his veins. Who in their right mind could let something so beautiful starve? But out of every pleasing feature on this Angel their wings were the most beautiful. Sleek black feathers peeked out from behind their back, the longest primary feather reaching down to the middle of their thighs, not as long as Alfred's own wings but still an impressive length. Taking a few steps closer Alfred notices that one of their cheeks were redder than the other- like someone had struck them.

"What happened?" Alfred asks, taking the last few steps between him and the princess, invading their personal space.

Matthew doesn't back away more than half a step before the stranger has his hand on his sore cheek. The omega winces, shutting his eyes tightly, still unsure if he can trust this strange boy not to hurt him. The hand on his face gently brushes his cheek, strong fingers trail down the side of his neck before they're gone. Waiting another moment before slowly opening his eyes, Matthew straightens up and looks up slightly to stare back into the boy's intense blue eyes. A warm feeling grows in Matthew's chest the longer they gawk at each other. Finally, the black-winged boy shyly glances away, breaking the gaze.

Alfred's face heats up knowing he was openly staring at the Angel. The alpha can hardly help it though, this Angel is so beautiful it's hard not to ogle them. His wings flap nervously behind him as an awkward silence falls over them. Quickly thinking of something to say Alfred thrusts his hand out in front of him.

"My name's Alfred." His name comes out in a nervous unintentional yell, causing the smaller Angel to jerk in surprise. The stunned Angel looks at his outstretched hand confused, before cautiously taking it in his own thin, soft hand.

"I'm Matthew." He says, quickly pulling his hand from Alfred's. The princess is a boy then, and based on his sense of smell and his alpha instincts the white-winged Angel is sure Matthew is an omega. A cute, innocent omega is the monster Mari-Ann was hiding in the tower. It was a mystery how she had kept it hidden this long, seeing that Matthew is around his age.

"What happened?" Alfred asks again, pointing to Matthew's red cheek to clarify his question. Touching his cheek the smaller boy's face became plagued with sadness and guilt.

"After I finished lunch today I asked if I could have more since I was still hungry and I was hit for being a spoiled monster." Matthew explained, remembering the way Mari-Ann had left rambling about how Matthew is a burden to her. It wasn't his intention to be a burden, no matter how many times he did good or apologized he could never do well enough for Mari-Ann. If only his wings would turn white she'd stop calling him a demon and maybe he'd be able to go outside.

"I'll kiss it better if you want, it helps take the pain away." Alfred offers, something in him is screaming at the alpha to comfort the small Angel, take all his pain away and perhaps hunt down Mari-Ann. His mother always kisses his injuries, so Alfred finds it appropriate to offer it to the injured omega. Matthew is anything but a monster, he is a sweet Angel that has probably never done a wrong in his life.

Nodding dumbly Matthew stood still when Alfred steps closer, bending down slightly to place an innocent, chaste kiss on the blushing omega's cheek. The alpha steps back, a large smile pulled to his lips, his wings bristled in happiness as the hybrid fidgets with his fingers, staring at the ground in embarrassment.

Matthew's own wings ruffle in happiness as a small smile pulls at his lips. This has to be the best day of his whole life. Better than getting new books or new colouring pencils. The young Angel has never been happier than he is now, and it's all thanks to this handsome stranger that flew in through his window. There is nothing that could convince him that Alfred is Matthew's gift from God. God had seen Matthew reading and drawing, thinking his life was fine and decided he was too lonely, so God sent him Alfred. Thank you God, Matthew thought to himself, peeking up at the taller through his long lashes.

A bashful blush blossoms on Alfred's cheeks when Matthew looks at him with that cute little smile on his face. An unknown warmth fills his chest as he scratches the back of his head, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. Now that Matthew is smiling and Alfred had kissed him his heart wouldn't stop pounding in his chest. Not the kind of pounding that arose when he ran or with Simon earlier that day, no it was pleasant like that but confusing. His stomach was also doing weird flips that made him think he might puke all over Matthew's room. Alfred glances at the omega's still smiling face, praying he wouldn't ruin the moment by puking.

Matthew's face suddenly changes as if he'd just remembered something. The smaller Angel looks at Alfred with determination, his small hands grabbing at Alfred's white shirt.

"C, can I ask you a question?" Matthew asks biting his lip, waiting for Alfred's reply.

"Yeah," the alpha replies.

"When did your wings turn from black to white?" A light in Matthew's eyes tell Alfred that he's serious about this question. So serious Alfred is afraid to answer him, because he doesn't want to hurt Matthew's feelings. He takes a moment to think of his answer, his mouth opening and closing several times before he lets out a defeated sigh.

"My wings were never black." Alfred says simply, he decides it best not to lie to Matthew than have the small Angel keep the hopes of having white wings. It feels like someone has stabbed him in the chest when he sees Matthew's face fall in devastation. The small hands loosen their grip on the alpha's shirt and fall back to Matthew's sides. Acting quickly Alfred grabs the hybrid boy's hands in his own, causing the boy to raise his head and look into Alfred's eyes. "You're wings are beautiful the way they are." Alfred blurts out, the warm feeling in his chest coming back when Matthew blushes at his words.

"…Thank you." The boy whispers, a genuine smile of thanks comes to his face, gripping Alfred's hands tighter. Alfred's stomach is doing flips again, this time stronger. The taller boy lets go of Matthew's hands, making his way back over to the window. "You're leaving?" Matthew asks running to Alfred's side. The alpha only nods, afraid he might hurl if he opens his mouth to talk. Guilt soon replaces the nauseating feeling when Matthews face drops in sadness. His instincts can't stand seeing the omega this way, acting quickly Alfred places a hand on Matthew's shoulder, a smile on his face.

"I'll be back." Is Alfred confident assurance.

"Promise?" Matthew asks.

"Promise." Alfred nods, letting his hand drop from Matthew's shoulder. Stepping away from the hybrid, Alfred stops at the edge of the cot to look back at his new friend. They share a smile, giving each other a small wave while Alfred jumps to the window sill.

Realizing he'd forgotten something Matthew runs to his nest, asking Alfred to wait.

"You can't tell anyone about me, Mari-Ann will probably get angry at me again if you tell other Angels." It's obvious the hybrid doesn't want to have to say these things, but if it means he won't be struck again Alfred will abide to his wishes.

"You'll be my little secret then." The alpha says, smiling triumphantly down at Matthew who nods in return. "Until next time then princess." With those last words Alfred is jumping out the window and flying off in the sky, Matthew's only thoughts are how beautiful Alfred is.

~*O*~

Hi everyone! Sorry about the lack of Author's notes. Anyway, Thank you so much for all the feedback it means a lot and keeps me motivated to keep writing. Updates are probably going to slow down in the near future but won't stop I plan on finishing this part of the story. Also, if you have any questions now is the time to ask because in the next chapter your question could be answered in the story, so ask away!

Until next time,

-S


	5. Chapter 5: You are

Thoughts of him were ceaseless in Matthew's mind. Ever since Alfred's visit Matthew has been unable to take the Angel off his mind. He could by no means finish a book or a drawing without a thought of Alfred worming its way into his head and distracting him from his activities. Most times he sighs, gives up and stares longingly out his window. Thoughts of Alfred swooping down from the sky and landing into his room is what most of his daydreams ended in, however, none come true. The wait for the boys return starts out in eagerness but as the sun rose on the seventh day Matthew was feeling uncertain. The hybrid wonders if Alfred would keep his promise and return once again to see him.

Even if it's only once more Matthew wants to talk with Alfred, talk about life outside the room. When he asks Mari-Ann she becomes angry at him, telling him he has no business thinking of the world outside his room. He knew about the trees, the grass, and animals but he's never seen any of those things up close. Honestly speaking he is scared of the world beyond his window. Only books and Mari-Ann's stories are his way of understanding that the world seems chaotic, a place where people fear for their lives; a place where no one would want to lay eyes on someone like him.

Of course he knows those weren't the only characteristics, Matthew knows that, in Heaven especially, there was an abundance of good. Good people, with just morals and kind hearts. Maybe Alfred was one of those good people, the Angel boy told Matthew that he was beautiful the way he was, but he could be attempting to fool Matthew… no, Matthew thought to himself, he couldn't judge Alfred so quickly. Even if Alfred has ulterior motives towards Matthew he couldn't think of a reason why. The hybrid Angel has nothing to offer, he's dull, shy and has black wings instead of white. That meant the most to Matthew, he's so different from everyone else it wouldn't really surprise him if Alfred has a hidden reason to show Matthew kindness.

A bored sigh left Matthew soft pink lips as he stares at the open book resting on the table. It is Matthew's favourite book, though only a small book- meaning a quick read for Matthew- the story always has the small Angel coming back for more. A human and an Angel falling in love, how absolutely absurd yet tragically romantic. Matthew doesn't know what it is that made this book better than the rest, perhaps it's the passion of the lovers, or the way the Angel changes himself for his lover, or that after it all the Angel dies. How unfortunate it was to go through all of that work only to die without truly experiencing a new life.

Another sigh comes from Matthew while closing the book only halfway through, too distracted to finish it for what felt like the hundredth time. Pushing the book away, amethyst eyes blink and turn to stare out the window. The sun hasn't yet reached its peak meaning only a little more than an hour before lunch. The sun, bright golden light, the same golden as Alfred's hair. Dazzling golden strands accenting the bright blue of his eyes. Both are pleasant, but neither compare to Alfred's wide brilliant smile. All of which were fading from Matthew's memory, he thought about all the features of the enthusiastic Angel constantly so not to forget them. He feared if he doesn't see Alfred soon he'll forget them all completely.

Those thoughts, however, were interrupted by the sound of his door unlocking. Matthew is instantly on his feet, his face lighting up with a huge smile. He never expected Alfred to find a key, he's left the window open during the day and night, against Mari-Ann's orders, but he always closes them before she comes for lunch and lessons. No matter though, as long as Alfred comes it doesn't matter if it's through the window or the door.

When the door is pushed open and reveals who is behind it Matthew's smile promptly fell. Mari-Ann in all her grouchy glory is there instead of who he hoped. In her arms she carries books, a basket hangs from the crook for her elbow and a scowl on her face when she enters the room. Matthew knows she's in a bad mood today, breakfast had been scraps and he only had ten minutes to eat before she took his plate and left slamming the door, locking it behind her. When his caretaker is in these moods Matthew tends not to talk or make eye contact, it only makes it worse.

It seems doing even that won't help today. Dumping the books onto the table Mari-Ann suddenly stands up ramrod straight and turns slowly to the window. A light breeze brushed away Mari-Ann's bangs, exposing the creases in her forehead that are dipped because of her frown. Not a moment later she is practically snarling at Matthew and then stomping over to the window, hurling the shutter closed. The hybrid swallows thickly when the beta Angel makes her way back to the table. When his caretaker only sat herself down without lashing out at him Matthew could say he was utterly shocked. If she wasn't getting angry or going to strike him for going against her specific instructions how would she punish him?

"Sit down, today's lesson is going to be longer than normal." Mari-Ann said, gesturing for Matthew to sit at the table across from her. Hesitantly, the black-winged boy shuffles over to grab the cushions for himself and Mari-Ann. Now sitting down at the table Matthew waits patiently for Mari-Ann to start their lesson. "I want to start today talking about dynamics. I think you are old enough now to go a little deeper than the basics." Mari-Ann says, opening up a thin, green paperback book. The title is in gold print reading: '_Understanding Alpha, Betas and Omegas_.'

"Yes ma'am"

"Good, now you probably know about the birth markings already, but since you've never seen a newborn before I found a book with drawings so you can better understand what the markings look like." Mari-Ann tells him. She opens the book to the third page, flips the book around and slides it across the table so Matthew can see the page. '_Chapter I: Markings_' sits at the top of the page in bold black ink followed by three pages of writing then pictures of an alphas birthmark; betas next then finally omegas.

Matthew is familiar with the concept of the markings, but he's never actually seen any until now. Books he's read talk about them but never in enough detail that someone like him could figure out what they resemble on skin. Alpha markings are on the back, betas around the neck and omega on the hands, each one a dull white colour only lasting a few months to a year. The omega boy has visualized each one a bit differently than what he is seeing in the pictures, but he thinks each one is beautiful.

"Read out loud the physical description of each, you can read the origins and meanings on your own later." Mari-Ann says, gesturing to the book. Nodding, Matthew turns back to the third page and scans the words looking for the parts where it describes the alpha birthmark. He finds the short paragraph on the fifth and sixth page just before the pictures. Clearing his throat and adjusting his position Matthew reads:

"The alpha birthmark is usually a darker white than a betas or omegas, it occurs on the back between an alphas wings, starting at the nape of the neck to the base of the spine. From these points two lines inter… intertwine to form a double he… he-" Matthew paused shifting uncomfortably as he tries sounding out the new word. "Heal… x?" he attempts, glancing up from the page to look at Mari-Ann.

"Helix." She corrects him.

"Helix." Matthew repeats before continuing, "to form a double helix, as shown below." He pauses again to look at the pictures at the bottom of the page. One is a drawing of what Matthew presumes is a double helix, the others are of a newborn female and male alpha showing the tattoo-like marking. Running his fingers over the picture labeled 'newborn male alpha birthmark' Matthew wonders if Alfred's marking looked just like this. He knows it would've been of a double helix but would it have been just different enough that it was Alfred's mark and no one else's? It's a shame that symbol fades away Matthew thinks, if Alfred still had his mark the hybrid would be delighted to see it.

"Move on to the betas." Mari-Ann tells him resting her chin in the palm of her hand, a bored and impatient expression on her face.

"Yes ma'am." Flipping the pages till he finds the description of the beta markings Matthew beings to read again. "The beta birthmark is found as a ring circling the neck with lines crossing vertically through the ring along the diameter of it. The ring can be in different areas of the neck, whether it be circling directly around the throat or lower around the collarbone area has no significance to the betas personality or future." Again the three photos at the bottom of the page are a drawing of a spiked ring around a neck and pictures of a female and male beta showing off the birthmark.

"Now the omegas." Mari-Ann says her tone now slightly irritated by how long it's taking Matthew to read.

"Um, yes, but I have a question." Matthew's voice is hesitant and he squirms on his cushion hearing Mari-Ann's tone.

"What is it?"

"Where was your mark?" The moment the words leave his mouth Matthew regrets it. The beta is glaring at him from across the table, her hands- which are now laying on the surface of the table- ball into fists. To the omega it had seemed to be a simple question that would be followed with a simple answer, but that was obviously not the case. And for the life of him Matthew can't figure out why.

"Personal questions such as that should never be asked." Oh, Matthew thinks, that's why.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again." Matthew says. He focuses his attention back to the book flipping until the pictures of the omega markings is on the page. Matthew looks at the images first, again there are three pictures; a drawing, a female and a male. His fingertips run delicately across the picture of the male omega. The white tattoo on its hands are beautiful and all Matthew can think about is if his markings had been just as beautiful as these ones. Not that he would ever know, whether he was out in the world or locked away here his markings would have been gone by the time he could retain memories.

With a sad sigh the violet eyed boy removes his fingers from the page and begins to read.

"Unlike the other dynamics, omegas have two birthmarks, one on each hand. The white rings wrap around each wrist and middle finger, a line across the top of the hand connects the two rings. An omegas markings also last the longest because of their fragile skin, the white will fade into a pink hue before completely disappearing." Taking one last glance at the photos Matthew turns the page. A new chapter starts, reading: _Chapter II: Wings._

"Do you have any questions before we go on?" Mari-Ann's question has Matthew looking up from the book and looking his caretaker right in the eye. He ponders for a moment before nodding his head. "Go ahead and ask then." She says, gesturing with her hand for Matthew to speak.

"Why aren't my wings white like everyone else's?" His eyes are in a solid gaze with Mari-Ann's; full of sadness, pain and pleading for the beta woman to give him a straight answer. Mari-Ann lets out an exasperated breath, knowing that she can no longer avoid the subject. The brown-haired beta has thought it best to let Matthew live in ignorance, but that would've been convenient and her life is anything but. By keeping the secret of his heritage away from Matthew, Mari-Ann believes he would be more obedient, less curious to know about himself and discover things beyond his little world. It seems, however, that she has failed at that and is going to have to tell the boy eventually so it might as well be now.

"Because you are sin." Is her blunt answer. It seems to make Matthew more confused than hurt. His brows are furrowed in confusion as he contemplates Mari-Ann's reply. "You are the offspring of the most pure and the most evil, a child born of a Demon and an Angel; a monster." She elaborates, giving Matthew- who is staring at her, his mouth hanging open in disbelief- no chance to reply before continuing. "The ebony colour of your feathers is proof that you are sin in its most physical form. That is also the reason you don't leave this place, to lay eyes upon you taints the holy." She gives no explanation of why it's ok for her to lay eyes on him if that is the case, most likely because Mari-Ann believes herself to be a higher being.

Matthew's mouth in now closed, his eyes are glossy with tears. For the life of him he wishes he had not asked Mari-Ann why his wings were black. To be sin in physical form, the hybrid could not imagine a fate worse than this. Every dream he's ever had has been crushed, trampled, and pulverized into exactly that, a dream.

"You have no place in any of the three worlds, be it here in Heaven, on the depressing Earth or in the fiery pits of Hell, you shall not belong. No one will ever love you of their own volition, no being shall accept you for who you are because you don't belong. Your blood is as impure as the colour of your wings." The beta's tone is matter-of-fact, her voice unwavering in seriousness even as a single tear rolls down Matthew's porcelain cheek. Some may call her cruel for belittling an eleven year old, but Mari-Ann regrets nothing she has said, she speaks the truth and nothing but the truth.

"Never?" Matthew utters, another tears cascades down his cheek. He sniffs in a feeble attempt to keep himself together. Never in his life has his chest hurt so badly. It hurt to breath. His head is pounding, his fingertips were numb. The thought of being a monster doesn't seem to click in his mind, all this time thinking he was just an ordinary boy that had yet to blossom was a complete and utter lie. He was a monster. He was sin. It had been so obvious, all the signs had been there telling him what he was, he's simply been too illiterate to see them. Mari-Ann has even called him a monster before, but she calls him many names so he's never thought of it as more than an insult.

"Never." Mari-Ann confirmed.

"I'm sorry." Matthew snivels using the collar of his shirt to wipe his nose and eyes. "For being sin." He clarifies.

"Compose yourself, there are a few more things I would like to settle before I leave." The beta woman says, ignoring the whimpering boy's apology. Matthew nods and accepts the cloth that his caregiver hands to him. He stands and walks to the basin by the door, his wings are lazily hanging unfolded on his back. He curses them. The basin is silver and half full with cold water, only large enough to fit Matthew's frail body for bathing. Inhaling through his nose to stop it from dripping, the small boy dips the cloth in the water then brings it to his face. The water isn't clean, he has bathed in it already.

Once he is finished washing his face Matthew returns to his seat. The primaries of his wings rub against the floor when he sits. He makes no effort to lift them from the dusty floor. Why should he, they were a curse. Glancing to his left wing, he can see that the longest primary is no longer a shiny ebony, but a smoky gray. His eyes wander the feathers of his wing, the different shades of black and gray that make up each section of feathers. He reaches out for the feathers grabbing a handful of them and pulls. Only a single black feather falls to the rug. Wanderings eyes soon land themselves on Mari-Ann's white wings. Beautiful, pure white wings. They're everything Matthew's ever wanted. But someone like him shouldn't even be given the gift of sunlight.

"Are you ready?" Mari-Ann asks. Eyes still red and an occasional sniff comes from Matthew but he nods without a word. "Good, now turn to the chapter in your book about heat." Matthew does so. "Your heat won't come for a while, but it's best to be prepared since I don't have the first clue to whether or not a hybrid omega works the same as a normal omega."

Matthew knows about omega heats. A time when omegas can be impregnated by alphas, leaving them completely vulnerable. He knows that omegas carry and care for the baby when it's born. He also knows that it's not an easy task and that's why an omega will have betas around to help while the alpha will provide. Beta women can also have babies and he thinks beta men too, but he's not sure. And alphas make the babies. Every dynamic was treated as equals and given fair chance, accept him, sin was not given anything.

"I'm running out of time, but I'll give you the basic run down. In the circumstance that you were a normal male omega your heat will come twice a year for about five days. During this time mating pheromones with be released from your body to attract a mate. A pair does not have to be bonded to mate. I'll talk about bonding another time. After five days of heat about a week to a month later a female omega will know if she's pregnant, if she is not her uterus will shed and expel blood and tissues from her body." Mari-Ann pauses to catch her breath, Matthew hesitantly raises his hand. "Speak."

"What about males?" He asks.

Mari-Ann laughs. "Male omegas aren't allowed to have children, it's forbidden by God. Male omegas are temptation and those who fall into temptation are damned. We give male omegas a chance to be an equal with the rest of us because it's not their fault they were born from the damned." The beta stops again to examine Matthew. This news has obviously saddened him. His eyes are downcast, his lips are in a straight tight line. He doesn't say anything. "Also you should know this already, but I'm assuming you don't, male omegas can only be born from male omegas. Now that you know all this I'm sure you can put two and two together about what happens to a male omegas parents." It takes longer than expected, but soon enough Matthew's eyes widen in realization.

"No." He mutters.

"Killed. Or exiled." Mari-Ann confirms. "Keep that in mind if you ever come across an alpha while you're in heat… oh wait." Mari-Ann laughs to herself before standing. She extends her wings, stretching them out while she raises her arms above her head till a cracking noise comes from her back. "I best be off, have that book read as soon as possible. No slacking off." Matthew nods without making eye contact, lost in Mari-Ann's words. She walks over to the door and says before leaving: "I've left a basket for you with soap and a bread wrapped in cloth, use the cloth for washing. I'll have new water for you when I can." She leaves without waiting for Matthew to reply.

Matthew sits for what feels like hours. Mari-Ann's words echo in his mind. A painful lump is caught in his throat, it hurt to breath. This can't be happening to him. Sin, he was sin. Why did he have to go through all this pain? Matthew stops questioning why, he already knows the answers; because he's sin. The omega knows this but he doesn't want to accept it. It's not supposed to be this way, his wings were supposed to turn white and then he'd be free. Free to bask in the sunlight, which he will never have the chance to do.

Another question comes to Matthew's mind, one he doesn't have the answer to.

Why would someone chose to grant a monster like him life?

Raising from his cushion Matthew closes the book and places it on top of the others Mari-Ann has brought. He doesn't bother to look at what they were, what did it matter? Grabbing his own fluffy cushion, Mari-Ann's too, Matthew puts them back over by the end of his nest before walking back to the table and digging through the basket. His hands grabbed the first thing on top, a small bread loaf wrapped in cloth. It was warm. The omega boy can't remember the last time his bread had been warm. He didn't eat it. A growl came from his stomach, but he isn't hungry.

Putting the wrapped bread down on the table he reaches in the basket again. A bar of white soap is resting on top of a white sheet. Matthew removes the soap from the basket then the sheet. The sheet probably was for his bed since he's ripped his other one. It had been an accident, he was laying in his nest wrapped in the sheet when he thought he'd heard someone at the window. He got out of bed so fast the sheet ripped when his wings pulled the fabric upwards while he was standing on it. Mari-Ann had been so angry with him and told him he'd suffer for the rest of the winter. Apparently she either lied or the sheet had already been in the basket.

Taking both the sheet and the soap Matthew made his way to his nest. Pulling the ripped sheet away the boy arranges the new one down over top of three pillows that make the triangular shape of his nest, then the fuzzy blanket over the sheet. Balling up the damaged fabric and soap Matthew walks to the basin of cold water. The silver tub is moved away from the wall so Matthew can bath easier. His shirt comes off effortlessly because of the large hole in the back. Pants come off next before the small shivering boy steps into the frigid water.

Lowering his body slowly into the water Matthew's skin twitches and jerks as the cold water caresses his skin. Once he's sitting fully in the tub the hybrid reaches over the side to grab the damaged sheet and the soap. Matthew lets the soap skin to the bottom while he places the white fabric in the water to soak. After the sheet has become heavy with water the black-winged boy stretches his left wing out in front of him as much as possible before he rings the sheet out over his feathers. Feathers now wet Matthew reaches for the soap at the bottom of the silver tub and brings it to the black feathers. Using the sheet and bar of soap Matthew washes them. Then he scrubs them. Then he rubs them raw. By the time he's done both wings there are feathers everywhere. Patches of pink skin can be seen on his wings and a few drops of blood drip to the floor from his left wing.

Matthew doesn't dress for bed that night, he doesn't clean up the feathers and he doesn't pray to God. His last thoughts before he cries himself to sleep are that he wants to see Alfred.

~*O*~

The next few days are a blur to Matthew. He reads the books Mari-Ann told him to, he cleans up his room, he eats and he sleeps. To the depressed Angel life can't get any worse. Mari-Ann ignores his state of mind and the state of his wings. New feathers are starting to grow in, but they're sore and the pain makes him uncomfortable and unfocused. She expects him to get over it and continue with his studies. She strikes him twice in four days; over what, he can't remember.

On the fifth day Matthew feels more awake and can remember what he learns that day. He reads his favourite book in candle light then draws a picture of himself as a female. As soon as he finishes drawing he rips up the paper, he'll throw it out the window tonight. Mari-Ann brought him fresh water so he bathes again, avoiding touching his wings. When he finishes his bath the hybrid ponders whether or not he should dress, he hasn't gone to bed with clothes since his last bath. Since today wasn't as foggy as the others he decides to wash his shirt and pants and then puts them on to stay warm and hopefully sleep better.

The hybrid boy opens the curtains and shutter early that night so he can watch the sun set. He knew he shouldn't watch the sun but he can't help it. Being able to watch the sun makes him feel safe and gives him hope. If anyone asked why, he would say he doesn't know why but the truth is that the sun reminded him of Alfred. Specifically of said Angel's hair, bright blond strands of fire accompanied with an appealing smile. Two features that were now very vague in Matthew's mind.

It dawns on him suddenly that it's obvious why Alfred hasn't been back to visit him. The other Angel knows he's a monster and is avoiding him. Why else would it take so long for Alfred to visit? It shouldn't be a surprise to him that that is the reason Alfred hasn't kept his promise. Anyone in their right mind would avoid a monster like the plague, why would Alfred be any different?

The omega keeps the shutters open even after the moon has replaced the sun. Tears run down the sides of his face as he stares at the ceiling. No sound comes from the crying boy, he's amazed he even has tears left to shed. He lays on top of his sheet and blanket, glad he put on his clothes when a chilly gust of wind blows in through the window. A few moment later another stronger gusts of wind blows out the candle on the table in the room. Now laying in the darkness everything seems much quieter, except for the sound of flapping wings outside his window.

Wings?

Matthew is jumping up from his nest and turning towards the window. What he sees has more tears running down his face. It's Alfred gently landing on his window sill, a large smile directed straight at Matthew.

"Hello, princess." Alfred says happily as he drops down from the window into the room, just shy of landing on Matthew's nest. The only source of light in the room is from outside the window behind Alfred, so Matthew can't see his face anymore. The omega turns to the table and lights the candle with the last match he has before turning back to Alfred. "I'm sorry it took so long to visit again, I've been- hey what's wrong?" Alfred quickly steps up to the crying boy and wipes the moisture from the hybrids skin.

For a while Matthew says nothing. How embarrassing for Alfred to see Matthew twice and both times be crying. The last thing the omega boy wants is for Alfred to think he's a sniveling baby and not worth his time. If that happens Matthew will lose the only chance at a friend he'll probably ever have. It has taken years of waiting, years of dreaming of what it would be like to have a friend and if he loses Alfred it'll be years, maybe even longer till someone comes across him again. But this time he'll suffer, he won't just laugh off the possibility like before, because now he will know that it can happen and the wait will be excruciating.

"You can tell me, we're friends right, Matthew?" Alfred keeps his tone as happy as possible, but Matthew can hear the concern in his voice.

"I just found out some things recently and they're bad." Mathew's answer is vague and he doesn't expect the alpha to care enough to ask for a better explanation.

"What did you find out?" Alfred asks, his usually bright blue eyes are looking sadly at Matthew, who is unsure what to say. Does he lie to keep Alfred or does he tell the truth? If he does lie Alfred might not trust him, but Alfred must know that Matthew is a monster so there is no point lying to someone who already knows the truth.

Matthew leaves his spot in front of Alfred and walks to the bookshelf. He takes a book from the third shelf from the ground then returns to stand in front of Alfred. Opening the book to about the middle Matthew finds the page he's looking for. A short two pages explaining hybrids. He hands the book over to Alfred to read. Giving the taller boy a moment to read Matthew doesn't wait for the alpha to finish completely before speaking.

"I… I'm a monster." Matthew whispers, shying away from Alfred's touch. Alfred shouldn't lay his pure hands on Matthews's tainted skin. Matthew hates it. He hates that he's allowed the blue-eyed boy to touch him, even kiss his cheek last time. To even think of being friends, he truly is a monster.

"A monster?" Alfred says confused, to which Matthew nods. "Why do you say that?"

Matthew stares at Alfred for a while before extending his wings. "You read the book right? And look at them, they're so ugly. They're proof I'm sin, proof I'm a monster." Matthew says, his eyes drop to the ground as his wings also began to droop, the end brushing against the ground. The omega waits patiently for Alfred to agree with him and leave, but instead is utterly bewildered by the other boy reacts.

Alfred laughs. The boy clutches his stomach, throws his head back and laughs. Matthew watches him with wide eyes, waiting till Alfred composes himself so he can explain his behaviour. When Alfred's laughing finally dies off and he wipes his eye of a stray tear the boy approaches Matthew again, this time pulling the stunned boy into an embrace, dropping the book to the floor behind them. The alphas arms are tight around the omegas petite middle, denying any attempts of escape. They stay standing for a while, Matthew's arms stay slack against his sides, until Alfred speaks

"I've never seen a more beautiful being than you, princess." Alfred's breath is hot against the side of Matthew's face, he leans back in the alphas hold to look at him and escape the heat. "I don't know who told you you're a monster, but they're wrong. Monsters are bad and hurt others, I would know, I'm a hero." Alfred flashes Matthew that dazzling smile he's been longing to see.

"A hero?" Matthew tilts his head to the side slightly. Every books he's ever read has had a hero, but Matthews never thought he would meet one.

"That's right, I protect and keep everyone safe from monsters, but I don't need to keep them safe from you so you aren't a monster." Alfred says, letting go of the omegas and takes two steps back, still smiling at him. Matthew reflects on Alfred's words, slowly nodding to himself. The taller boy is right, he may have been born sin, but he's never sinned. He wasn't bad and he never hurt anyone, so how could he be a monster? His own birth wasn't his fault.

"I'm not a monster." Matthew says, a shy smile pulls to his lips, causing Alfred to nod.

"That's right, you're a princess and should be treated as such." Alfred is suddenly on one knee, a hand over his heart and his head bowed. "As a hero I promise to protect you from anything that tries to hurt you." Matthew's smile widens at Alfred's vow and soon a small laugh passes his lips. He covers his mouth and looks down at the self-proclaimed with affectionate eyes.

Lifting his head, Alfred looks up at Matthew returning his laugh with his own grin. Seeing the violet-eyed boys smile and laugh has Alfred's heart hammering in his chest. He may not know the omega very well, but his instincts scream at him to comfort and care for Matthew, which he has no problem complying too. The satisfying feeling that washes over him when he hears Matthew laugh is worth kneeling on the hard stone ground and promising his life to him. The omega doesn't need to know protecting him means Alfred's life is on the line, or the princess knows that and is impressed with his loyalty to a stranger. Alfred doesn't feel like a stranger when he's with Matthew, it feels like he is talking to a childhood friend.

Alfred stands from the ground, brushing off his knees. When he looks at the smaller boy whose eyes are red Alfred realises that both times he's come to visit Matthew has been crying. It was at that moment the alpha tells himself he must visit more often and see Matthew happy from the time he arrives to the time he leaves.

"I can't stay long tonight, I'm sorry." Alfred says, his tone is sad, but he's surprised Matthew's smile doesn't falter.

"It's ok, I know you'll be back so I'm not worried." Matthew replies. Alfred nods, taking the omegas left hand in his own and kissing the top. A light pink color blossoms on Matthews cheeks. Alfred turns from the omega and jumps to the window sill. His hand holding the frame, the alpha rotates slightly to look back at his new friend. Matthew's frame is outlined in the candlelight behind him, making him all the more beautiful. It pained Alfred to leave. The omega took a few steps forward, standing at the edge of his nest and gazing up at the alpha.

"Until next time princess." Alfred says before jumping away from the window and falling from the tower. Matthew runs to the edge, attempting to see over the sill at his falling friend. Panic sets in after a long moment of not seeing Alfred. Just before calling out the alphas name, said alpha shoots up into his line of sight and up into the sky. The omega hybrid sighs in relief, shaking his head as he watches Alfred fly around in the night sky. Even knowing Alfred can't see it, Matthew gives a small wave.

"Until then hero."

~*O*~

Thanks for reviews and such make me so happy people actually like this story! Apologies if the chapters a little boring but in the next little while things will pick up promise. Also really sorry it's taken so long to update, school is way busier than I expected so please bare with me on that. To answer Kiki's question there will be more canon characters in this story. Yes there will be, so many actually that I had to make the four children and Mari-Ann because I had no canon characters to fill those spots. This is actually only the first part of three, this part (first) is Matthew and Alfred's relationship and a few other things, the next (second) is about stuff then the last (third) has hella action and is about stuff.

I'll try to update faster but I'm honestly not doing good in school and need time, so by Christmas time updates will be faster really sorry about that. If you have questions or anything you can message me on tumblr .com .


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